Should've Been a What!
by NavyBlueWings
Summary: Naruto is excited when he finds out he and his friends, including best friend Sasuke, get nominated for a surperlative.But what happens when he realizes its not what he expected? Simple. All hell breaks lose, and feelings are seen in a different light. So much for a boring senior year... SasuNaru, not sure how many chapters...LEMON be warned!
1. Expect the Unexpected, Uzumaki!

**Helloooooo everyone! So I think it's been a little over forever since I wrote something here, so I figured that I could just randomly pop in a make a story. I know that half of you think I'm dead (I'm not, I promise!) and the other half have probably not even noticed I'm gone. But either way, I hope that you enjoy this little story. I know I keep doing the stories out of order from that list I made all those years back, but I just kinda am going with whatever plot bunny hits me first. So I hope that this is as good as it used to be for you all! Enjoy =)**

** Warning: There is sex somewhere in the future between a boy and another boy….I should be a psychic**

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Naruto world…but I do own the Ramen appreciation day =)**

**Chapter one: Expect the Unexpected, Uzumaki!**

Some people have told me that your senior year of high school can change the rest of your life. Whether it's because of sport scholarships, the lead role in a play, or simply the memories that you make with your friends, there is something special about that year. It is felt by the teachers and underclassmen as well. The classes are the last things on your mind, as ironic as that is. I had been waiting for this since my first day of freshman year. Nothing sounded more appealing than being the king of the school, enjoying all of the perks of my final year of high school. It was supposed to change my life forever.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you better not be sleeping in class again!" So after my first month of being a senior, I was extremely bummed to discover that _nothing _had changed from junior year. I groaned then lifted my head up slowly, leaning on my arm while sticking my tongue out at the angry girl in front of me.

"What's the problem? The teacher's not even here right now. Besides, it's not like I can sleep with someone like you screaming in my ear." I laughed for a moment before a book came barreling at my head, knocking me out of my seat. If anyone around us noticed my epic fall, they said nothing, continuing to work on whatever it was that we were supposed to finish by the end of class. Like I said, this was nothing different from the past three years of school. Rubbing the bump that was soon to form on my head, I whined and looked back to my assailant. "Sakura! You could have killed me!"

Sakura Haruno, the one who claimed to be my friend, rolled her eyes at my statement.

"We all know your head is far denser than our math book. You'll be fine."

"But what about the brain damage you're causing?!"

"What brain?" Growling, I glanced over to the other sadist who dared to call himself my companion. Shaggy brown hair barely brushed the red markings on his face, a pearly white smile only pissing me off more.

"Shut it, Kiba. Last time I checked, I'm doing better than you in this class and all I do is sleep." He twitched at my confident smirk, unable to argue against the truth. Even if I didn't pay attention in class, math wasn't a problem for me. In fact, it was one of the only classes that I was good at. While most people found equations and mathematical problems troubling, I could never figure out why. Now English, that was a nightmare. Give me fractions over grammar anytime.

"You wait; with Hinata's help I'll crush you at the end of this year!" I laughed loudly before pushing off the floor, brushing myself off and shaking my head.

"You say this every year. I don't know why she still tutors you. No matter how many hours she spends with you, the information is never going to stick." I grinned brightly before pain struck the left side of my face. Sakura grabbed my cheek and yanked me back into my seat forcibly.

"Stop picking on him, at least he tries to get better. You, however, rely far too much on Sasuke to save your ass in English." At the mention of Uchiha, I sheepishly brushed underneath my nose and looked away.

"Why do you got to bring him into this? Nobody asked about the prodigy child." At my childish pout, Sakura smile and ruffled my hair.

"Now is that really nice to say about your best friend? We all know you two are attached at the hip, even if neither one of you will accept it." I looked away from her, staring out the window in protest of what she said. I knew what she was talking about; I also knew better than to admit it. In middle school, I had been introduced to Sasuke Uchiha in my English class. We had been sat next to each other because of our last names, just like every other class for the next three years. Sasuke had been the complete opposite of me; always staying quiet and keeping himself distant from all of the other kids who wanted to be his friend. Even in class, he didn't speak much to me despite my best attempts to befriend him. That finally changed when our teacher paired us together for an English assignment, giving me time alone with him after school. Being alone had allowed him to open up more than I had ever expected from the silent child. Even if his words were short and to the point, it was enough. In those days after school, I had found my best friend.

Ever since that assignment, Sasuke and I had always followed one another. I managed to get him to participate in after school programs with me, and was there when he discovered his interest of the guitar (an instrument I could have never seen him playing). He followed me throughout my exploration of soccer, a sport that we both seemed to excel in. He didn't like cooking, but volunteered to sign up for the cuisine classes because of my obsession with it. And every day we didn't have practice, we were hanging out. Weekends were spent with sleeping over each other's houses alternatively, our parents simply happy we were able to build such a strong bond. I was an only child, and Sasuke's only brother was five years older than him. The teenage guy had little time to play with him. Within those three years, Sasuke became my favorite person. A person I would do anything for.

And then we entered high school. A completely different world than our middle school experience, high school tested my friendship with Sasuke in several different ways. For one, our classes differed much more than our almost identical schedules in middle school. With that came new people. We met Sakura in our elective cooking class, while our first interaction with Kiba and Sakura's best friend Ino came on the soccer field at try-outs. Sasuke's intelligence led him to an AP English class and a lazy guy named Shikamaru. He then introduced us to the Hyuuga cousins, Neji and Hinata. And without even realizing it, our group had expanded faster than we could blink. The more people we added, the less time Sasuke and I had together.

Adding to our distance was the fact that Sasuke was the valedictorian. It was obvious by the end of freshman year that nobody was going to take that role from Sasuke. And, feeling a bit left out by this accomplishment, I decided to make myself stand out as well. With the support of my new friends, I became the class president. It really wasn't hard, since most people could not help but fall for my charming smile and optimistic nature. We both kept our prestigious titles throughout all of high school, which hadn't seemed to be a problem until the middle of junior year. Suddenly, the titles meant something. Sasuke was constantly being dragged off for academic achievements that I had no business being a part of. At the same time, I was being pulled in several directions between class budgeting, fundraisers, and junior prom. The already short amount of time we had for each other got sliced into fragments.

And these years in high school had changed us. Our friendship had become more jaded than it was in middle school. Fighting became more prevalent, and name calling took the place of kind words. We couldn't seem to express our friendship the same way we had when we were younger, though I couldn't figure out why. Especially when we had hit puberty our freshman year. Sasuke, like everything else, had gotten bit by the puberty bug before me. Things that were considered normal before, such as sleeping in the same bed or skinny dipping in the pond on summer nights, had Sasuke extremely uncomfortable. I tried to respect his abrupt intimacy boundaries, but it left me feeling hurt without understanding why. Suddenly, Sasuke had turned his standoffish personality to a cold demeanor that clashed with my developed energetic behavior. When together, arguments were more likely than not.

But still, despite our fighting, the others had always said there was something 'different' about my relationship with Sasuke. Sasuke seemed to somehow always be there whenever I needed him. He took any elective I asked him to, joined the soccer team with me, and even took time out of his busy schedule to help me with my English work. And no matter what I was doing, I would always be there for any award ceremony or academic achievement celebration that he had. If in a meeting or conference, I could always find a way to sneak out if Sasuke needed me. Even if it would get me in trouble later on, Sasuke was still my most important person. Nothing was going to change that.

Or, so I thought.

"Has the idiot fallen asleep sitting up?" I snapped my head out of my daydreaming at the sound of Sasuke's voice, smiling despite the insult. No matter how he entered the room, I always felt better when he was around. Still, and insult from him never went unnoticed or unanswered.

"Well aren't we blessed to see the great Uchiha in such a low level class? Should we bow in your greatness?" I fanned him with my hands while Sakura shook her head. By now she was used to our normal banter. Sasuke arched an eyebrow at me before smacking one of my hands.

"I had a free block and nothing better to do. Seventeen years old and still acting this immature." I scowled at the mention of my age, knowing his smirk was simply to mock me.

"I'm going to be eighteen in less than two weeks. You going to keep rubbing it in my face that you're eighteen? Cause that's getting really old." Sasuke was older than me by three months, a point that he never let me forget. For some reason, being older made him feel like he was superior to me in some way. Though it had never really come up when we were in middle school, he seemed to point it out every year of our high school career.

"Depends, do you intend to mature this time around?" I jumped out of my seat, ready to beat the smirk off of his perfect face, but Sakura stepped between us and poked both of us in the forehead.

"Enough you two. You guys are supposed to be models for the rest of us. If you keep this up, the whole school will be in anarchy by the time we graduate." As if it wasn't already? With a principal like Jiraiya, it seemed like a zoo any day of the week. The guy got in more trouble with the vice principal than half of the student body, and he was supposed to lead the school.

"I don't see why anyone would look to him for guidance," I said, watching our valedictorian shrug his shoulders.

"Funny, I was about to ask the same thing about you." Kiba snorted at Sasuke's remark, slapping the side of his thigh.

"The way you two fight, you should seriously be married. At least then you have a reason to bitch about each other."

"W-What the hell?! Who would ma-marry this guy?!" I flushed at Kiba's strange comment, though Sasuke didn't seem fazed by it. In fact, he glanced over to me before leaning closer to my face and smirking.

"I don't need to get down on one knee for you, do I?" If I had thought I was blushing before, my face must have been on fire at the strange question. Something warm shifted in my stomach, and I felt my vocal chords freeze up when meeting Sasuke's stare. He didn't look away, simply watched me as if seriously waiting for an answer.

"Sasuke, don't tease him." Sakura tried to come to my defense while Kiba howled in laughter, unable to stop the tears in his eyes. Finally tearing my gaze from Sasuke's unreadable face, I managed to punch Kiba across the top of his head.

"Shut up you stupid dog!" He grabbed the spot in pain, but even then he wouldn't stop chuckling. Before I could attack again, a gentle cough came from behind the three of us. I blinked and look over my shoulder, instantly smiling when I saw the class secretary awkwardly fidgeting. With wide purple eyes and black hair, Hinata could easily be called the cutest senior girl if not for her unnatural fear of speaking to people. Though she was an amazing secretary at every meeting we had, she never said a word when I asked the board for their opinions on discussion topics. Though we had been working together since she joined the team sophomore year, she still seemed to treat me like we had never spoken before. Our friendship was a huge work in progress.

"Hinata! What brings you to this side of the school? Don't you have Sociology right now?" At Sakura's cheerful questioning the silent girl nodded, fumbling a few envelopes in her hands.

"Ye-yes, but I was a-asked to deliver these pa-papers for the student council. It's a-about the class superlatives." I instantly grinned when the final word came out of her mouth. Without asking, I already knew that one of those envelopes were for me. In fact, the reason why the class council didn't take care of this particular tally was because we were told all of our members were nominated for at least one of the superlatives.

It didn't really come to a surprise to me either. My vice president was Ino, who people constantly thought was my sister because of our similar looks and personalities. What she lacked in self-control, she totally made up for in charisma and social networking. If we needed an event broadcasted and talked about, she was the best for the job. Hinata was our secretary, and her older cousin Neji was our treasurer. It was a direct order from their elders that the two Hyuuga cousins participate in the council to add points onto their transcripts for college. Where Hinata was too shy, Neji was too haughty. The past two years I had worked with him had been rough, and for most of it he hated being around me. But slowly Neji had grown to respect my enthusiasm for our class, and relaxed during out meetings. It also helped that Sasuke happened to be good friends with Neji as well, but I wouldn't give the credit to him.

"So they finally figured out the problem? About time they gave us the results; the polls were like, two weeks ago. I've been itching to find out what I got!" I jumped excitedly when Hinata handed me my envelope, starting to rip it open while Sakura grabbed hers.

"Naruto, you know it's not the counsel's fault. Wasn't there some problem with the results that had to be brought to the principal? That's what I heard at least." I nodded at Sakura's questioning, glancing to Hinata.

"Yeah, did we ever find out what happened with that? They were keeping it under big wraps when I tried to ask what was going on."

"Not th-that I kn-know of." She replied meekly, holding out an envelope to Kiba and Sasuke as well. Seeing it, I groaned, some of my excitement leaving me.

"Damnit, you got one too? Isn't there anything you don't win?" He glanced over to me as he casually placed the envelope into his pocket, not bothering to look at it.

"I didn't ask for this, you know. It was the requests of the senior body. Take it up with all of them if you wish to fight someone." I crossed my arms at his answer, noting the slight amusement that flickered in his dark stare.

"It says here on the note that we are to report to 's room today after school to discuss the superlatives. They didn't even give us a day's notice! So much for cheerleading practice today," Sakura mumbled, stuffing her letter back into the envelope while I re-read my own. Damn, they didn't even tell us what we won!

"This is bullshit. Last year the seniors knew what they got the day after the votes. Not only do we have to wait two weeks, but now we don't even get to know what they are until after school. What was the point of these stupid letters then?" I ripped up my paper and tossed it in the trash before looking at Sasuke. "Yo, do you know what's going on with these superlatives? You're in good with Mr. Hatake, he must have told you something."

"Even if he had, I wouldn't tell you. They haven't told us about them for a reason, right?" I wanted to argue, but the bell for the end of class went off before I could speak.

"Great, now I have to go to chemistry. One horrible class after the other," Kiba groaned, putting his envelope on top of his books. He sent us a wave before he glanced to Hinata, smiling. "You want to walk with me?"

"O-Oh! If yo-you want," She whispered, her fact brighter than a stop light. Somehow it got even worse when Kiba offered his hand, leading her out of the room. I smiled as the two left, knowing they had been secretly dating for well over a year. Though Kiba had no problem being open with the relationship, Hinata had been less forthcoming with her family. So for now, the two were modern day Romeo and Juliet. I smiled at the thought, though a slight pain grabbed my heart when thinking about my own love life. Despite a good number of dates and girlfriends I had throughout my high school year, nobody had ever made a spark. Kissing, groping, even sex hadn't felt like more than a physical itch I was scratching. I lost my virginity last year to a girl who, regretfully, had been nothing more than a good friend. I stayed with her for a few months only to realize that I couldn't force myself to like her when there was nothing romantic there to begin with. So I broke it off and vowed never to have sex with another person again unless I felt something different. Something unique. Four attempts later, I was still sex-less.

"Earth to Naruto! Stop your day dreaming and hurry up, we're all going to be late." Hearing Sakura's voice, I Instantly perked up, realizing that my final class was culinary. I gathered my stuff before looking between Sasuke and Sakura, grinning in spite of the earlier conversation.

"At least now I can let out my frustration out on some food!" Despite her best efforts Sakura laughed, sliding her arm around my waist while I lead her out the door of the classroom. I casually glanced behind me to see if Sasuke was following, but stopped short when I noticed he had been caught up with someone in the classroom. There, standing meekly in front of the asshole, was a petite girl I could only guess was a junior or sophomore. It didn't take much to realize what was about to happen. I watched as the girl seemed to yell something at him, to which he remained stoic and barely spoke. Soon after his clipped answer the girl seemed upset, watching as Sasuke quickly moved away from her and back to us. I frowned at the longing look in her girl's eyes before focusing back on the guy staring down at me.

"What?" He asked, seeming to notice my unusual mood.

"Jesus Sasuke, what did you say to her? She looks like you ran over her cat then backed up on it." I asked, the three of us walking toward the foods class. He didn't answer me for a moment, but found the words once we reached the classroom.

"She asked me to go out with her, and I declined. She got upset and asked me why I wouldn't give her a chance, to which I responded with something she didn't like."

"Oh not this again! Sasuke, I've told you that you've got to be nicer to these girls when they spill their hearts out to you." Sakura would know, since she was the first one to get her heart broken by him. It had barely been a month since they had met when Sakura had told Sasuke she was in love with him. He had harshly scolded her, telling her not to say things she didn't know the meaning of and walked away. I remember she cried for hours, and Sasuke and I had gotten into a huge fight about it at lunch the next day. I wasn't mad about him denying her; if he didn't like her that was not his fault. But the coldness he used was uncalled for, and it was one of the few times I got Sasuke to apologize for his actions. She had forgiven him, and thankfully our group wasn't split up because of it. Ever since, Sakura had always felt bad for the multiple girls who had tried to ask Sasuke out. No matter who they were, Sasuke always said no. To this day, he had remained dateless.

"Would you prefer I lie to them?" He said it like _that _was a reasonable alternative. Groaning, Sakura moved away from me and walked into the class while muttering to herself. I laughed as she left, looking over to Sasuke while leaning against his arm.

"Do you have to be such a heartbreaker?" He sent me a scowl that proved he was not amused with my statement. Or maybe it was the face I was touching him; since that was a big 'no-no' in Sasuke's book.

"Hn."

"If you don't learn to give people a chance, you're going to be living on my couch while my wife tells me to choose her or you." I blinked when the second bell went off, signaling we should have been inside by now. I moved to push away from him, but quickly found myself moving the opposite direction. Without warning I was pushed into the deserted stairwell at the end of the hallway. I yelped when the coldness of the wall seeped through my shirt, the door banging shut to isolate us from the rest of the hallway. "Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Who would you choose?" I blinked at his random question, and truthfully I couldn't even understand what he was asking.

"What do you mean? Choose what?" He stared at me so intently, that any indication that this was a joke was quickly dissipating. "Sasuke?"

"Your earlier statement, involving the couch. Who would you choose?" My mouth opened in slight shock when I realized he was talking about my made up scenario. Laughing slightly, I pushed on his chest while I spoke.

"Why should I answer that? And why are you taking it so seriously anyways? Making me late for something this dumb; you've been hanging out with Ino and Sakura too much!" Reluctantly he let me push him away, and I moved to the door while I continued to shake my head. I grabbed the door handle, starting to turn it before I stopped. My smile slowly started to fade when I let Sasuke's words sink in. Was he really worried that one day that would happen? It would make sense too, since he really never gave anyone else a chance. The only girls he bothered to talk to were the ones that I had dragged him into becoming acquaintances with. Maybe I had hit a nerve I didn't mean to by making such a careless statement. Slowly, I looked back at Sasuke, not surprised to see him staring at me. And though other people may have been freaked by his actions, it made my lip curl into a smile. This was just how our friendship was. Different. Despite him making me late for class, seeing him there made me feel…content. "Hey Sasuke?"

"What, idiot?" I rolled my eyes as his rude answer, knowing it was his way of protecting himself. I gave him a thumbs up over my shoulder, smiling.

"I'd choose you, ya know? Don't be so stupid, you know you've always been my important person. A wife that would make me choose between the two of you wouldn't be worth it. So stop sweating it!" His eyes widened slightly at my admission, but he quickly gain composure and crossed his arms. Looking away from him, I pulled the door open and prayed the wind the door created would cool my slightly heated face. I didn't know why I felt embarrassed, Sasuke was my best friend. I would never choose someone else over him. I jumped when his chest brushed my back, his breath brushing my ear. What was he doing getting so close?! What happened to personal space? Not to mention Sasuke hated any type of physical touch. Unwillingly my body shivered, mistaken the close proximity as intimate.

"You're in the way."

"S-Sorry." My answer was weak, and it took my body a second to react and move out of the doorway. What the hell was that? I looked as he emerged from the stairwell, arching his eyebrow at me slowly. He sighed and turned away from me, walking toward the classroom.

"Are you going to class? Or shall I tell her you're practicing being a human statue outside?" At his sarcastic comment I snapped out of my daze and quickly ran after him, refusing to let him get the best of me. Still, I couldn't help but wonder why he was so worried about me choosing someone else over him. Didn't he know he was my best friend?

What I thought I knew was about to get flipped completely on its head.

"Jesus, where is this guy?" I groaned and banged my head against the desk I was sitting at. School had been over for almost a half an hour and yet I was still stuck in a classroom. Despite the letter telling us to come to this classroom right after school, Mr. Hatake was still missing. I glanced around the room, seeing a good amount of people I knew and a few that I wasn't close to. Sakura was sitting next to me with Ino on the other side of me. Hinata sat awkwardly in the row behind us with Kiba to her left and Neji to her right.

"How troublesome." The yawning brunette on Ino's side was Shikamaru, who had also been summoned here with the rest of us. Looking around I noticed that one of the captains on the girls soccer team, Tenten, was here with her friend Lee. Lee was on almost every sports team imaginable, so it was no surprise that he was got nominated. I could only assume he won 'most athletic'. Scanning the room a little closer, there were people I didn't know very well, such as a boy I only knew by the name Gaara. Next to him was a girl decked out in purple, and lastly a boy who eerily reminded me of Sasuke. Luckily, Sasuke wasn't as creepy looking, or I'd have to rethink being his best friend. I paused, realizing that Sasuke was still missing as well.

"Hey, where the hell is Sasuke?" I asked, looking around quickly. Kiba smirked, leaning forward in his seat.

"You looking for your husband?" I quickly turned to face him, barely missing his face with my fist.

"Shut up or I'll put dog food in your locker." He stuck his tongue out at me but settled back in his seat. Neji sighed loudly before standing up.

"This is absurd. I will not sit here and waste my day with imbeciles such as you two when I could be doing anything else with my time." He made a point to glare at both myself and Kiba before starting to collect his stuff to leave.

"Jesus, who pissed in his cheerios?" Kiba asked, crossing his arms and scowling.

"Trust me, that was him being nice. You should see him when he gets angry. He would make his own mother cry without a second thought," Ino said, shaking her head and leaning it on her hand. I nodded, knowing just how nasty he could get when a class council meeting took longer than expected. And the weeks following up to junior prom had me and Ino dub him 'Neji-zilla' when he wasn't around. Neji had just slung his bag onto his shoulder when Sasuke walked through the doorway with in hand.  
"Sasuke! Let go of the teacher right now!" Sakura said, standing up to show her anger by placing her hands on her hips. It was only when the teacher was dragged to the desk that Sasuke let go of him, not saying a word while he moved to a seat across the room. I watched him from the corner of my eye while Ino and Sakura went to check on the dazed teacher, wondering why both of them had been so late. And why wasn't he sitting near us?

"I found him reading dirty magazines in the teacher's lounge. He seemed to forget his appointment with us." Despite Sasuke's calm look, it wasn't hard to see just how irritated he was. And in truth, I couldn't blame him. Mr. Kakashi Hatake was introduced as our class advisor freshman year, and had spent every moment he could torturing my group of friends. Though he was very intelligent and cheerful, there was something sinister hidden behind his mischievous eyes. Sakura thought I was insane whenever I said that, but Sasuke had told me since sophomore year to avoid him. Because he was my best friend, I did what he asked and didn't take his class until this year. The first time I had talked to him, he told me to call him by his first name. I never heard another student call him Kakashi, so I confided in Sasuke after class. When I recalled what happened, a strange look shadowed Sasuke's face. If it was someone else I was talking to I would almost compare it to being nervous, but Sasuke was not intimidated by someone like Kakashi. I didn't know why he didn't like the teacher, especially since Sasuke was seen around him more often than any other teacher. Hell, if I didn't know any better I'd say they were having a secret affair and he was hiding it from me.

Not that he had a reason to tell me anything about his sex life! I was just…just…

"I'm sorry I'm late; time flies when you're having fun." From the glares everyone in the room gave him, Kakashi was going to be dead in a few seconds. Saving his own ass, he held up a piece of paper and smiled. "But I do have what you are all here for."

"Finally, let's just get on with this," Neji said, moving back to his seat while Kakashi leaned on the teacher's desk.

"Now please remember that these were the choices of the students in your class. No teacher or underclassman got the paper to fill out. The group who was chosen to count the tallies consisted of underclassmen and was not allowed to change the final result. There were ten different categories, with two participants for each category. Some people got nominated multiple times as well. Does everyone understand what I'm saying?"

"Okay, we get the stupid rules. Can we just get to the winners already?!" At my impatient outburst the pervert smiled before shaking his head and holding up a set of papers.

"Before we go any further, I need everyone's consent that they understand they have been nominated and agree to allow these results to be published in the yearbook. Read the passage on the paper and sign where it asks you to." I blinked when Kakashi moved around the room, handing each person a paper. Sakura thanked the teacher politely before she looked down at what he gave her.

"Excuse me, but may I ask why we have to sign this? I don't remember anything like this last year."

"That's because this is something new. Some of our students last year did not feel comfortable for voting specially for one boy and one girl in every category." I almost forgot about that huge argument last year. The seniors had unanimously voted that two girls should have been in the same category for "most likely to succeed", despite the rule that one boy and one girl had to be chosen. After a huge discussion with the school board, the girls both got entered in for the category.

"Is that why it took the office so long to figure out what to do with our results?" Kiba asked, handing back his signed form. I barely even glanced down at what it said before signing it, not caring what I got. In all honestly, I knew that my class had a positive opinion of me. I was friends with most and had been voted into my position as class president every time by a landslide. I didn't need to worry about the category they picked for me.

"We decided this year we wouldn't put the requirements of one male and one female. We simply said to write down two people who fit each place. Now for the most part, it still followed the traditional pattern. However, there were a few categories in which this pattern didn't follow. After talking it over with the principle and vice principle, we supported your decisions. The paper you signed says that you understand what I just explained to you, and agree to stand by what your classmates have chosen. Does everyone understand?"

I felt an eerie chill go down my spine when Kakashi's devilish gaze focused on me. Just what the hell was _that _supposed to mean?

"Mr. Hatake." Sasuke spoke quietly, drawing the gaze of the teacher away from me. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling in my bones.

"Naruto? Are you okay?" I glanced over to Sakura, laughing quickly and nodding when I felt everyone's gaze move to me.

"Yeah! Just excited to see what I got nominated for, you know?" She smiled and ruffled my hair, making me whine. Whenever she did that, I felt a little more of my masculinity slip down the drain.

"If Naruto got picked, I must have skipped the 'dumbest' column on my ballot." I growled at Kiba's jab, wishing he was closer so I could hit him.

"You'd be right there beside him." I looked up at Sasuke's comment, surprised that he got involved in the conversation. He smirked as Kiba sputtered to try and retaliate, though the dimwit couldn't figure out how to form a comeback.

"Settle down kids, don't make me give you detention." Like the pervert would even show up to it! I scoffed, turning back to the teacher as Kakashi finished collecting the consent forms. "Are you ready to hear the results now?"

"We've been ready for _two weeks _you crazy teacher!" I shouted, seriously getting annoyed with the amused look on his face. Just what was it that had this guy so happy? And why did I have a sneaky suspicion that it involved me?

"Your wish is my command." Maybe because he kept looking at me like the cat who got away with eating the canary? Either way, he made himself comfortable leaning on the desk before looking back down at the paper in his hand. "Temari and Nara Shikamaru have the title of 'most laid back'."

"Shocking," Ino said teasingly, glancing over to Shikamaru and laughing. Though I didn't know much about this Temari girl, she didn't seem fazed by the information given to her. Maybe she was the female version of Nara?

"Next we have the two class clowns, which were one of the three categories that shared the same sex. It's no surprise to give this award to Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto." I grinned at the announcement, glancing over to Kiba who seemed just as content. Maybe it was because we prided ourselves with tricking everything and anyone we could. Not to mention we were the life of any party we went to. There was no denying that the people in our class knew us well.

"I guess I don't mind sharing that title with you," Kiba said, smirking while I discretely flipped him off. Sakura couldn't help but smile while Shikamaru and Neji synchronized their eye rolls. Sasuke seemed unaffected, seeming completely detached from the conversation. Feeling uncomfortable with his unsettling look, I shot him a text asking him if he was okay. I knew if I shouted it across the room he wouldn't even acknowledge me. I watched him glance to his phone, reading my text before looking up at me and giving me a short nod. Though I didn't exactly believe him, I knew he wasn't going to elaborate until we were alone. I leaned over to Sakura while the room quietly chatted about the last one said.

"What'd I miss?" I asked, listening to Kakashi list Gaara and Hinata for 'most unique'.

"Tenten and Lee got 'most athletic', and the Hyuuga cousins got 'quiestest'. Not too surprising if you ask me," she whispered, making me snort. Yeah, if only people knew what the real Neji sounds like. Sure he may not be talkative in school, but he sure gave you an earful if you didn't format the class newsletter right. He was anything but silent there.

"Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke were nominated as 'most likely to succeed'." The room clapped while Sakura blushed, laughing to try and hide her embarrassment. Really she shouldn't be bashful, that was kind of cool to hear! I always knew she was ambitious, and I was glad she was getting the recognition she deserved.

"Congrats Sakura," Ino said, giving her best friend a hug. The two were close, and you could tell that Ino was proud of her best friend. Looking over to Sasuke, I could kind of understand how Ino felt. After seeing him work so hard throughout his school career, it was kind of nice to see people recognizing it. Though he got scholarships and awards, it would be easy for the school body to feel jealousy toward his academic achievements. To see them respecting him was something that made me truly happy.

"Sakura was also nominated for 'most talkative' with Yamanaka Ino." Now that got a laugh out of the room. It was no secret that the two could gab. In fact, the only time Sakura got in trouble in school was for talking too much. And when the two of them fought, it was loud enough for China to hear. Hell, even Sasuke knew to stay out of the way when those two were verbally tearing each other to shreds. But for now the two simply glanced to each other and smiled, knowing there would be plenty of time to defend this specific title.

"Ino, you won two other nominations as well. You were paired up with Sai for 'most artistic', as well as Naruto for 'must gullible'." I blinked once when I heard my name before groaning.

"One time I believed that school was cancelled because of a made up holiday, and suddenly I'm gullible." At the memory of it I glared over to Neji and Sasuke, both seeming to be fine with their guilty conscience. During my junior year my tendency to run late got the better of me and I didn't show up to the beginning of a Christmas fundraiser we were having. It would have been fine too, if it wasn't the 'breakfast with Santa' event, in which I volunteered to dress up as Santa for the kids. With me absent and Kiba too fat to fit in the suit, Neji had to do it. And if there was one thing that Neji hated, it was children who thought it was okay to blow their noses into "Santa's" beard. By the time I got there, the damage was done and Neji swore his revenge on me.

A few months later he made up a fake holiday and somehow managed to get Sasuke to play along with his charade. We both ended up skipping school that day, and instead spend the day hanging out at the mall. I came home to a pissed off set of parents who demanded to know why I skipped school without permission, and I was grounded for a week. When I learned that Sasuke was in on the plot, I asked him why he did it. Sasuke never told me, only saying that Neji made it 'worth his while'. The next day Neji made sure everyone knew why I hadn't been in school. I learned quickly that pissing of Neji, even on accident, was one thing you tried to avoid at any cost.

"Seriously though, why would you believe there was a thing called 'Ramen appreciation day'? And why would they cancel school over it?" Sakura asked, knowing all too well what I was thinking about.

"I thought someone appreciated the food as much as I did!" I said, still determined that someday it would become an actual holiday. If we had ones for a fat guy in a red suit and a baby wielding deadly weapons, why not have one for an item that actually exists? I yelped when Kakashi hit my forehead with the palm of his hand, signaling he was done with my talking. "Hey!"

"Shut up Naruto! He's still got one category left." I blinked once at Ino's harsh statement, wondering just what the last one was. Since I filled out my ballot so long ago, I forgot half of the categories on there.  
"This last one has no bearing on me, I'm leaving." Shikamaru lazily stood up from his spot, making Ino frown as she looked over at him. I looked at my vice president, wondering just what it was that he said to make her look so upset. Knowing not to ask Ino, I leaned closer to Sakura so only she could hear my question.

"What's Ino's problem with Shikamaru now?" Sakura sighed as she looked at her best friend, shaking her head.

"She's hoping that she wins this last nomination with Shikamaru, even though he has no interest in it."

"Want to clue me in here on what the last category was?" Before she could answer me, I hear Kakashi's voice fill the room with more enthusiasm than before. Instinctively, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

"It would have done you well to remember this last category, Naruto. Because you're in it." Without warning, the room went silent at Kakashi's statement. Even Shikamaru stopped in his lazy stroll to the door in order to glance back at me. Okay, maybe I was the only one who didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

"With Ino?" I asked, watching as he shook his head. I furrowed my brows together, wondering what category Ino would want to win with only Shikamaru. In hindsight, I probably should have realized that my life seemed to be a giant joke to whatever controlled the fates.

"Not with Ino."

"Then with who?" I asked, getting annoyed with the overjoyed look on my teacher's face. Finally his eyes wandered away from me, and I looked back at the direction his gaze went to find Sasuke looking directly at me. I jumped at the unexpected eye contact, trying to figure out just why he looked so pissed. And Sasuke _never _had shown this much anger in public before. Feeling like I had done something wrong, I looked up to Kakashi again. "With Sasuke?"

"You've got it."

"Oh my god," Sakura whispered, her eyes wide in surprise as the entire room erupted. I tried to catch onto any of the conversations going on, but they were too intertwined to make sense of anything.

"Good luck, Naruto." Shikamaru sighed before he turned back around, finishing his exit of the room. Good luck? Good luck with what?! My confusion turned to anger as I looked back at the teacher who had started this whole problem, finally standing up in my seat and shouting.

"What the hell is going on right now?!" Kakashi moved forward to drop the paper he was reading from onto my desk before silently walking out of the room. I watched him leave before finally looking down at the paper, trying to find my name. At last, at the end of the paper, I found what I was looking for. And it knocked the wind out of me so fast; I didn't even realize that I fell back into my seat.

"Naruto! Are you okay?!" Sakura's concern over my abrupt fall did not falter my gaze on the piece of paper in front of me.

"This isn't…" Remember when I said that my senior year was _exactly _like every other year of my boring life?

**Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto: Should've been a couple**

…Was there a way to take that back?

**Well everyone….what do you think? I'm actually nervous as all hell to put this up because I haven't written in FOREVER and I feel like it's crap. Buttttt I'm giving it a go. So what will Naruto do with this information? What is the relationship between , Sasuke, and Naruto? How will this change the group? And why isn't there a real Ramen appreciation day?! You're going to have to wait and find out with the next chapter! See ya!**


	2. Let the Mind Games Begin

**Hello again! I'm so happy that you all seemed to enjoy the previous chapter to this story! =) Now I'm not really sure how long this is actually going to be. It will probably range anywhere between four chapters and ten. The reason being that I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with this story. A part of me feels like it will be like Therapy, another feels more like Life is a Highway. We'll have to wait and see! For now, just enjoy this beautiful chapter!**

**Oh! ****Before I forget, I've been asked to promote a story for one of my readers. Her penname is ****PshhAnonymous ****and she tells me her first story will be posted sometime this weekend. I remember how nerve wracking it was to post mine up here, so I hope everyone is as amazing to you as they were me. Best of luck to you PshhAnonymous! **

**Now here we go! **

**Warning: Nothing too graphic here, just warning of what to come! **

**Disclaimer: After careful review of the situation, I have decided that I do not in fact own Naruto. That is all**

**Chapter Two: Let the Mind Games Begin**

"It's not that bad." I glared over to the optimistic blonde in front of me who was now slurping on a strawberry shake. After finishing her gulp, she met my gaze and proceeded to roll her eyes. "It could have been Chouji."

"_That's _how you want me to look at this? Woman, if I wasn't raised properly, I'd smack you." And honestly I meant it. How could she even kid about something like this? Just hours ago, I had been told that I was going to share the controversial spot of 'should've been a couple' with my best friend. And since that was none other than Uchiha Sasuke, a boy, I wasn't swallowing it as well as she seemed to be. "What if this was you and Sakura?"

"Well that would never happen, stop being ridiculous," Ino said, dismissing my anger by waving her hand. I could feel my eye twitching, only calming myself down by picturing Ino choking on her shake. With her lack of sympathy, she deserved it.

"How are you and Sakura any different than the bastard and me?" She paused at my question, tapping her lower lip with her fingertip. I took the time to look around the deserted ice cream shop, realizing that we were the only two here. Despite my knowledge that it was October, I still expected to see other people.

"I can't explain it. Me and Sakura are just friends. There's nothing about us that screams "gay couple", you know?" Then again, maybe it was better nobody was around for this particular conversation. I nearly fell off my stool at her reasoning.

"That'syour explanation?!"

"Well, yeah. You and Sasuke could probably pull off being gay." Ino blinked once as she stared at my shocked expression, seeming confused. "What? You've never thought about it?"

"No! What normal person thinks about turning gay for their best friend?"

"Well it's not like you're really normal. And from the way you and Sasuke act, I always thought that…well, that you two had a thing for each other. And apparently I'm not the only one." I groaned, pressing my palms into my eyes and praying for this day to end up being a nightmare. Just what were people saying about me? I got that I was extremely social and friendly, but that didn't mean I was gay! And Sasuke was even less likely to like guys.

"Shit!" My sudden exclamation made Ino jump, nearly knocking her shake over. She sent me a glare that had little effect as I scrambled to grab my phone.

"Jesus Naruto, can you give a girl some warning before you go crazy? Last time I checked, I didn't enjoy dropping shakes in my own lap." I ignored her whining to open my text messages, clicking on Sasuke's thread while I continued to swear. "What is going on with you?"

"I was so caught up in how I felt that I didn't even talk to Sasuke about it! He's probably freaking out just as much as me. And it's not like he's going to have a heart to heart with anyone but me." I held the phone up to my ear as it started to ring, tapping my foot against the bottom of the stool in impatience.

"Like I said…not normal." I paused at her quiet muttering, focusing back on the phone call when Sasuke's voicemail picked up.

"Hey bastard …uh, it's me. I know that school was weird and whatever. But if that's why you aren't picking up your phone I'm going to kick your ass! So you better come over sometime and talk to me, otherwise I'll make you regret it." I shut the phone and sighed, tossing it back into my pocket before leaning my elbows on the bar in front of me. "This is all messed up."

"Really, you're making a big deal out of nothing. So half of the school thinks you're gay with Sasuke. And for all we know, people thought it'd be funny to put two guys together now that we don't have gender rules."

"Yeah, you're right! It must just be a senior prank on me and Sasuke, right?" She smiled at my optimistic question, leaning closer and ruffling my hair. I closed one of my eyes, wondering why she was giving me such a motherly look.

"You're a good guy, Naruto. Don't let this thing with Sasuke ruin your year, okay? Didn't you promise all of us that this was going to be the year everyone talked about for the rest of their lives? We can't really do that if our president is in a tizzy over something like this. And who knows, maybe there's a reason for this nomination." I nodded, knowing she was right. So what if me and Sasuke had gotten punked? I was the class clown after all; I should be able to handle a joke. Sasuke may not like the situation, but the damage was said and done. All we could do was entertain the people who played the joke on us and carry on with the nomination.

"Let's just hope the asshole doesn't get too bent out of shape about this. We all know he doesn't know how to appreciate a good joke," I said, scrunching my nose when thinking about how Sasuke was going to react. I could already see him finding every person that voted for us and making them 'mysteriously' disappear. Then again, with the amount of kids that were in our class, it would have taken a good amount of votes to get us nominated. How did they plan this without either one of us noticing it? Between the two of us, we knew every senior in out class. Still, if Kiba could get a girlfriend, I guess anything was possible.

The bell above the ice cream parlor chimed, both of glancing back to see two very familiar faces.

"Hey Sakura, hey Sasuke!" Ino's chipper greeting seemed to annoy Sasuke, but Sakura quickly recovered with a wave and smile of her own. I frowned for a moment at the unusual couple. As far as I knew, the two of them had never hung out after school unless I was involved. Since when had they gotten so close? And why did I even care? The fact that Sasuke was able to be social with more than just me should have been a relief. I chalked it up to the fact that it was Sakura, and my instant need to guard her from Sasuke's cruel words still affected me several years later.

"Hey guys; we figured we'd find you hiding out here." Ino shrugged at Sakura's observation, glancing to me and winking.

"They figured us out, now where are we supposed to go for our 'alone time'?" I laughed at her implication, though played along to humor her.

"Don't worry; I'm sure the pool table in my basement is just as durable as the ice cream bar."

"You're so disgusting Naruto!" Sakura was never one for dirty jokes, and would always hit me when making sexual suggestions to anyone around her. This time was no different, and I had to jump off my stool to get away from the fist she swung at me. In an attempt to save myself I hid behind Sasuke, grabbing his arms to use him as a shield.

"I was just kidding! You've got to learn to live a little; you've been hanging out with teme way too much for your own good."

"Why are you hiding behind me?" I looked up at Sasuke, sending him a charming smile.

"Because I know she won't hit you. You're like anti-Sakura spray." Sakura huffed before she moved onto the stool I was just at.

"Seriously, Ino, why do you play along with him? If I didn't know any better, I would say you enjoyed it." Even when talking about our sexual side, Sakura sounded disgusting. Instead of following her friend's lead, Ino shrugged and leaned back on the bar.

"I don't mind his sense of humor. Between you, Hinata, and Shikamaru, Naruto is a huge breath of fresh air." From the list she just gave, I could understand why. Sakura had not one perverted bone in her body. Hinata blushed if you said the word 'sex' anywhere near her. And Shikamaru was far too lazy to make a joke. Though each one of them was special to me, I would never take them out to a comedy club and expect to have a good time.

"Speaking of Hinata, you promised to go see that movie with us tonight, remember?" Ino snapped her fingers, seeming to know exactly what Sakura was talking about.

"Sorry, I kind of forgot when Naruto offered to buy me a shake."

"Hey! Is that all I'm good for?" The two girls laughed before moving away from the stool, Ino leaning over and kissing me on the cheek before moving toward the door.

"I'll see you at school Naruto. Sasuke, keep him out of trouble will you?" If Sasuke responded I didn't hear it, the chimes signaling that the two girls had left. I sighed in relief, happy to get out an encounter with Sakura and remain in perfect health. It was a rarity I savored.

"You can let go of me now." I jumped slightly at the voice, realizing that I had yet to release Sasuke from my grip. I noticed the way that Sasuke's head was turned must not have been comfortable but necessary in order to speak to me. Did it really have to be so close though? If I wanted to, I could butt heads with him with a slight tilt of my head. Quickly I let go, but Sasuke didn't move his head away from mine. Feeling warmth pooling in my stomach, I felt myself drawn to his dark stare. I had known him for years, yet never before had the little things about him distracted me. Like his eyes were in fact dark brown, not the black everyone assumed they were. In fact, I bet if his skin wasn't so fair, the color would look much lighter. Had Sasuke always been this much taller than me? It was pissing me off and I couldn't figure out why. I took a slow step back, coughing to break the weird atmosphere and bring us back into reality.

Knowing that the shop closed at sundown, I paid for Ino's treat and walked outside with Sasuke to the bench just outside of the shop. He sat beside me, both of us watching the evening traffic caused by the rotary in front of us.

"Why didn't you answer my phone call? I could have been dying you know," I mumbled, leaning back to cross my arms and pout like a kid.

"I'm sure if you were dying, you'd have other people to call first," he replied, not noticing the slight wince I gave in response.

"What the hell are you talking about? You know it's always going to be you," I said, knowing it was the truth. Hell, whenever I had a problem he was the first one that I went to. Even if it was something sexual or private, I trusted nobody better than him. He had to know that. The way he was looking at me made me feel like I was speaking a different language.

"Are you sure?" Just what was his problem right now? I wanted to strangle him at how cold he was being.

"I think I know myself a little bit better than you do, asshole! And what's with the snarky attitude anyways? Last time I checked, I didn't do anything to you today." _You're kind of hurting me_ ran through my head, but I shoved the idiotic feeling down. I was a man, and men didn't rely on other men to make them feel better! Unless they were gay, in which case it was totally acceptable since they could just use make-up sex. At the thought, I suddenly realized why I had called him to begin with. "This doesn't have anything to do with the superlatives, does it?"

"Why would you think that?" It was true Sasuke had handled the situation much better than me. I mentally groaned as I remembered tearing up the paper, dropping about twenty swears, and storming out of the room without any of my stuff. That was the whole reason why Ino had showed up at the shop, hence I offered to buy her a shake. No, I probably could have handled that about ten times better. But I was upset, and my family always encouraged me to express myself. In fact, I had been so wrapped up in my temper tantrum that I didn't even remember what Sasuke had done.

"It's kind of been a crazy day, hasn't it?" I blew out a long breath to show just how drained I was.

"Nothing out of the usual when being around you." I glared over at him, irritated with his smirk. Well, at least he wasn't being so snappy. If I hadn't known for a fact he was a boy, I would assume he was PMSing.

"We really got ourselves into something deep this time, huh?" At my question he remained silent, glancing out across to the highway. I watched the orange glow of the setting sun wash over his face, the stress lines on his forehead showing. He was barely 18 and already took on more than most adults did in their entire lives.

"If you're this uncomfortable with the situation, I'm sure Jiraiya will remove the superlative from the yearbook." Well that was kind of a weird answer. I frowned, noticing that the way he said it left an uncomfortable ache in my mind.

"It's not like I hate you or anything you know. It's just…aren't you kind of freaked out that people saw us this way?"

"I don't care about what people think about me. Their opinions hold little value." I should have expected a mature answer like that. Shaking my head I laughed, leaning back while outstretching my arms on the back of the bench. Faintly I felt my fingertips brush the side of Sasuke's arm, enjoying the heat that his back spread into my forearm.

"For once, you're right. I guess we shouldn't bother talking to Jiraiya; he wouldn't listen to me anyways. Besides, we'll probably never talk to these people again after high school."

"If I'm lucky, you as well." I punched his shoulder at the comment, knowing full well he didn't mean it. Hadn't we just had a discussion about this earlier in the stairwell?

"Love you too, bastard." He didn't respond to my sarcastic answer, not that I really expected him to. Instead, we allowed silence to surround us as we watched the fading sun meet up with the darkened night sky. This had always been my favorite time of night, and I ignored the chilled air to try and map out the constellations that I knew. It didn't take long for Sasuke to butt in, prompting me into a challenge to see who could name the most. By the end of it every trace of the light and heat from the sun were gone, thought I hardly noticed with Sasuke's body so close to mine. When I shivered he said nothing, but moved closer while pointing over my body at another group of stars. Maybe this level of comfort was what made people think we should be together. But at the moment, I didn't care.

"In what country was the Treaty of Versailles signed at the end of world war one?" Thank _God _I knew this answer! Racing to the front of the class, my teammates cheered me on as I quickly grabbed the marker and started to write 'France' on the white board. I slammed the marker down as soon as I was down, turning to the silver haired teacher and holding out a peace sign.

"Done you pervert! Check my answer!" I grinned while Kakashi glanced to the board and nodded. In an attempt to get us ready for our next exam, Kakashi had made up a challenge called 'board bash'. He split up the class into two teams, giving each team a marker and half of the white board to write on. Taking questions from the test itself, he would read each question out loud to the class. Each team then sent up a person to write down their answer. Whoever wrote the correct answer first got a point for their team. At the end of the class, whoever had the most points would get two points added to their final score on the exam. Though it didn't seem like much to most, I needed any help I could get. I wasn't failing, but I knew that if I got anything lower than a C my parents would not be happy. So I was determined to bring my team to victory.

"Very good, Naruto. Bonus question for you." Wait, what? Since when were there bonus questions in this game? I glanced to my team, watching everyone giving me supportive cheers except for a particular Hyuuga. He could care less about the game since he knew he would ace the exam. Taking a deep breath, I looked back at him and nodded.

"Alright, give me what you've got."

"The treaty was signed exactly five years after which Archduke's assassination?" Of course it was a person he asked about. Dates and places were easy to remember, but people were the hardest part about history. I bit my lip nervously, knowing a bonus point would keep us in the lead right before the bell. My whole team was counting on me, but my mind was drawing a complete blank. Where was Sasuke when you needed him?

"It's your second favorite band, idiot." My eyes lit up as the band's name instantly came out of my mouth.

"Franz Ferdinand!" As soon as I said it, I turned to look at the boy leaning in the doorway of the classroom. The other group groaned, a few mumbling under their breath about Sasuke's interference. My team, on the other hand, was more than happy to cheer for the assistance. I glanced to Kakashi, who was nodding his head at my answer.

"Very good Naruto." The bell rung , Kakashi clapping his hands together and looking over to the scoreboard. "That puts your team in front. Two points will be added to everyone on Naruto's team for the exam on Monday. Don't forget to study the sheets that I gave you. Oh, and Naruto?"

"What is it now?" I groaned, pulling my book against my chest and turning to him.

"I'm very impressed with you improvement in this class. Keep going and you'll get far." For some reason, hearing a compliment for Kakashi was not something I expected in the least bit. I shifted between my feet, brushing my nose with my hand while mumbling my thanks. I turned away from him, making a quick exit to Sasuke. I knew that Sasuke was irritated with our short conversation, but as I glanced back to Kakashi I couldn't help but smile. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all…

"What did he say to you?" At Sasuke's question I shrugged, the two of us walking toward the lunch room.

"Nothing really. Just told me to keep doing well in his class. You know, for all the trouble you put me through not taking his class, he doesn't seem so bad. He even seems to like me, which is more than I can say for you on most days." I glanced over to him, trying to decipher just what it was that Kakashi did to piss Sasuke off. Normally with people Sasuke didn't like, he allowed me to make my own opinions of them. This one, however, was a clear no. Especially now, seeing Sasuke glare down at me.

"He's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Do not get close to him." When Sasuke wanted to, he could be scary. Even I felt the need to step back at the fire in his look. All of this anger because of one person? It almost made me want to find out from Kakashi just what his relationship was with Sasuke. The thought was tempting, but I refused to betray my best friend like that. Instead, I nodded and dropped the conversation while we entered the lunch room. I mentally sighed as we walked, instantly feeling eyes on us. Ever since news got out about our superlative, people had been more interested in us than ever. Not like I wasn't used to the stares being Sasuke's best friend. But now even guys were giving us weird looks that we honestly didn't deserve. We weren't mutants or anything!

"Naruto!" I glanced up and grinned when seeing our group of friends, waving back to Sakura before turning to Sasuke. He still looked upset about my earlier comment, so I threw my arm over his shoulder and dragged him down to my level. He silently protested by glaring at me, but I ignored it as I wrestled him over to the table, Kiba and Ino sliding to make room for us.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late; Kakashi had to talk to me about something." I sat down, looking up to Sasuke when I realized he didn't follow. "What are you, an Uchiha tree? Sit down already, you're making me nervous."

"I have something to take care of." Was it cold in here or was it just me? Without so much as a bye, the bastard left little time for argument. I wanted to go after him, but the conversation at the table was directed at me.

"Kakashi? You're on first name basis with teachers now?" Kiba asked, making me roll my eyes.

"I don't even want to get into it. What I do want to make sure is that you two are still coming early to help at Konoha beach tonight. Hinata has put a lot of effort into the first annual fall bonfire, our first fundraiser for our senior year. If we don't get underclassmen to participate, then expect a shitty prom. "

"With a promotion like that, how could we not be excited?" Ino asked sarcastically, shaking her head while laughing. "I also put up fliers all over the school and invited everyone I could on the school's facebook, so that this idiot isn't the only one getting the word out. Hinata told me earlier that the chaperones were all set, and she got the okay from the fire department to have a bon fire. And, with my charismatic smile, I convinced the fire science boys to come help us tend to the fire so it doesn't get out of control."

"I was planning on coming early and helping set up with Hinata anyways, so count me in," Kiba said.

"I'll be there too, since I'm catching a ride with the girls. This really sounds like it could be a fun time so long as you've got some good music." At Sakura's suggestion I nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

"Got it under control. Did you know Chouji knows how to DJ? I told him I'd give him fifty bucks and he's got his own equipment. It's barely costing the senior class anything and with tickets ten bucks each, we're planning on making over a thousand dollars."

"Not to mention I talked to Shikamaru's dad about food, and he's going to make a ton of sandwich platters from his sandwich shop. I'm picking them up right after school. That way that food is beach friendly and we can make more money on refreshments," Ino added, proving we knew what we were doing.

"We really should run for president one day. We could make a lot of change in this country, one finger sandwich at a time." I put my arm around Ino as I let my presidential voice take over. She nodded and we both had a good laugh while Sakura glanced between the two of us.

"Maybe they should have nominated you two for biggest flirts instead of most gullible." I shrugged, glancing to Ino who seemed even less concerned.

"It's just easy to be like this when we've been working this closely for the past couple years. We don't really mean to do it," I explained, though not really sure why. Neither one of us was in a relationship. Ino had feelings for Shikamaru, but nothing was official. And me? With the stupid rumor of me and Sasuke going around, no girl wanted to talk to me. Not because I was 'into guys', but because of the guy I had stolen from them.

"Wait, what's Neji doing for the event?" Kiba asked. I paused, realizing that Neji had not offered to help once with Hinata's event.

"He's probably just going to take care of the money aspect of it." Kiba didn't seem satisfied with my answer, but he remained quiet. Though Hinata was his girlfriend, Kiba knew better than to get in-between the family problems that the Hyuuga cousins had. They didn't even know him and Hinata were dating. But I knew it ate him up inside every time Neji failed to support his cousin.

The rest of the lunch period was uneventful, and school seemed to go by quicker than I expected. When I reunited with Sasuke later in foods class, he refused to tell me what he had to do during lunch. I tried to press the situation, only to end up accidentally lighting my apron on fire. The fire alarm went off, and I spent the rest of the school day outside with the entire student body. Sasuke escaped my questioning, but got sucked into a promise that he would go to the bonfire later that night. For some reason, knowing he was going made me work twice as hard to get everything together. What was wrong with me?

Whatever it was, any thoughts involving Sasuke disappeared an hour before the bonfire started. From then I was racing around, doing my best to be eight people at once. If only that were possible. I had just finished going over the playlists of music I wanted Chouji to use when Hinata came over to me.

"I-Ino let the first group of people in. Are you sure th-this was a good idea?" At her obvious nerves I smiled, nodding excitedly.

"Hinata you did an awesome job thinking this up! Because of you, the class is going to have a great start for their prom fund." Despite my encouraging words I could see that she was still worried. I took a deep breath as I looked around the bonfire, completely satisfied with what we had accomplished. The fire was roaring, benches and tables set up in sporadic places for people to relax and socialize. We had cleared out an area for a dance floor, knowing all too well just how teenage girls' minds functioned. Why do you think I threw in random slow songs? If there was one thing I knew, it was how to entertain a crowd.

"Ne-Neji doesn't seem to feel this will be worth the cost." Ah, there was the problem. Ever since I have known the two, Neji had criticized and watched any move that Hinata made. At first I thought it was because he wanted her to get better, but every time she made a step forward Neji seemed to scare her two steps back. No matter what me or Ino said to her, she always was too scared to talk at meetings because of his harsh words. But when Neji wasn't there, her creativity was amazing. She understood people and how to make the most relaxing and welcoming types of events. She paid attention to the smallest details, such as color schemes and types of flowers during each season. She was amazing, if only she could see it.

"I'll take care of Neji. Don't worry about him; everyone is going to love this bonfire."

And true to my word, the people started to pour in like wildfire.

"Naruto, this is amazing! Great job!" I grinned as Tenten ran by me a few hours later, heading straight to the dance floor. I had to give it up to Chouji; he was doing a great job with the music. A good amount of people were on the dance floor, including Kiba and our class secretary. At least Hinata was finally having a good time, seeming to even forget about her cousin and all her family responsibility. That was how high school was supposed to be. And when she looked over to me from across Kiba's shoulder, I gave her a knowing smile before holding a thumb up. She blushed and hid her face into the taller boy's shoulder, but I knew she was happy. And that made me happy, sort of. Now the only thing I wanted was to see a certain bastard who had yet to show his face.

Needing some fresh air, I walked away from the fire and toward the front of the event, seeing Neji dutifully handling the money from the event. Realizing how almost none of Chouji's powerful equipment could be heard on this side of the event, I understood now why Neji had placed the entrance here. Really, all that could be heard was the crashing water from the dark ocean beside us.

"How are we looking so far, oh God of Treasure?" No matter what humor I tried to bring into Neji's life, he never seemed happy. Instead, he finished paying out a pair of freshman before handing them their wrist bands and looking up to me.

"So far we've recorded two hundred and thirteen people." Instantly I saw money signs at his statement.

"So we're doing really good! Man, if Hinata keeps coming up with ideas like this we'll be rolling in the money." At mention of his cousin's success, Neji scoffed and looked to the water.

"Hinata has been nothing but lucky tonight. If we had been rained out or someone got hurt at this ridiculous event, you would not be praising her so much. Plus we have yet to even add in the costs of the firewood or the renting of the beach. That's at least six hundred dollars right there. Poor planning on her part."

"Whoa, Neji. Give her a break here. Your cousin may not be as business suave as you, but she's trying her best. And it's just a school fundraiser, not an industry." He stood up, turning to face me with a face that read pure disgust.

"My family owns the highest grossing automobile production in the country. My grandfather has chosen Hinata to take over the family business simply because her father was the eldest of his children. Though I am smarter, stronger, and a male, Hinata is expected to become the heir while I simply fetch for her like some pathetic dog. She is not fit to run the business. She can't even choose the right type of male to stand beside her."

"You know about Kiba?" I asked, the name seeming to only anger him more.

"If she had chosen Sasuke, or even someone with some caliber such as yourself it would be different. But she decided to settle with that low life. What could he possibly bring to the family business? His grades are atrocious, his speech impossible to understand, and his goals for the future are nothing more than laughable. I have stood by her side all of this time, not because of love. I am ashamed to call that weak woman family. But I am duty bound by my grandfather's orders to keep her on the right track. While I watch her take what should be mine!"

"Why the hell are you blaming Hinata?" He opened his mouth to respond to me, but I wasn't done. "I get it. You're all pissed off because your family is way too traditional and thinks that the oldest automatically means they're the best. So yeah, go ahead and be mad because I would be too. But that's not Hinata's fault. Do you really think she _wants _that job anyways? Probably not. You _are_ right, you're probably perfect for that job and she knows that. She's forced to take extra classes and do all of these activities that just come naturally to you. For what? Just to benefit your family. She's only seventeen years old and her life has already been determined for her by someone who won't be around in ten years to see it happen.

"She's stuck in the same messed up web you are, Neji. She is forced to take on a task that is probably too much for her without the option of failing. So for someone like you, who knows exactly how to save her, to instead push her further into the water shows that you are the one who's wrong here. She likes Kiba, so what? It's her right to try and find happiness. All Hinata wants to do is be the best person she can be, which may not be the cookie cutter expectation of your family. But no matter what life throws as her, I see Hinata try way more than anyone else in this school. You should be proud to call her family, not spit on her name like this."

"You know nothing about this matter." I stared at him for a moment, watching his eyes pulse with pure anger and hatred. Even now, he still seemed to hold himself back. A part of me felt sorry for both Hyuuga cousins. Maybe even more so Neji than Hinata. At least she had found some sort of happiness.

"I know all this pain and hatred between the two of you could just be done with if you realized who the real problems are. Maybe you should be standing up to your grandfather instead of picking on a little girl. At here in school you act like you're better than everyone else, and I finally figured out why. Because when you get home, you get treated like the lowest human on the totem pole. But that's not Hinata's problem, that's yours. Fix it, or shut the hell up about it." The two of us shared a heated look, neither one of us backing down. So it kind of caught me off guard when the normally reserved Neji punched me straight across the face and into the ground. I groaned and grasped at the sand, my left cheek throbbing as I struggled to push myself up. I could hear Neji heaving next to me, understanding all of the emotion that he had just used to motivate that hit. Slowly I chuckled while rubbing my cheek, praying that he hadn't knocked any teeth out in the process.

"You should just stay down so I don't kick the crap out of you." Finally, Neji was speaking like he had something he cared about.

"Yeah, you're right. I probably shouldn't be getting up." Still, I pushed myself up and brushed my shirt off while looking over to him. I smiled in a way that showed the punch had done nothing to my perception of him. "But I'm going to. Because no matter what you throw at me, I'm not staying down."

"You're a fool. Why don't you strike back at me? Why would you continue to let me punch you?" He fisted his hand again, probably intending to beat me senseless.

"I don't know; why do you keep letting other people make up your fate?" At my question, Neji's eyes widened before his hand slowly unclenched and dropped to his side. Once I felt like my words had hit the mark, I moved over and dropped my hand onto his shoulder, smiling despite how painful it was to move my cheek. "You remember the first year we were on the class council together?"

"You're impossible to forget, Uzumaki," He replied, though the anger that was there before was gone.

"Back then you didn't think so. You took one look at me and tried to decide my fate for me. You said I'd get nothing done and someone else would become president the next year. I took your words, and fueled them to make myself better. You said I wouldn't get too far, but I did. I made you respect me. Now you need to do the same. If your family doesn't want to give you the company, _make _them. Become a force they can't ignore."

"My family—"

"Needs to understand that it's a new era. And sometimes it takes someone as strong as you to make that change." He looked away from him, staring into the darkness of the sea while trying to sort out everything we had talked about. Knowing that it was a lot to process, I stepped back and pointed to the bon fire. "Why don't you go hang out with the others? I think Lee and Tenten are in there; you should join them. I'll stay here in case anyone else wants to come late."

"You're the president, I won't argue with your orders." Back to that again. If only he had felt like that before he punched me across the face. Then again, I did deserve it for provoking him. He smirked as if knowing what I was thinking, giving me a sarcastic salute before leaving. Well, at least I had made an indent on his view of hierarchy. I watched him walked towards the event, leaving me alone with the sea and my throbbing face. Still, it felt kind of nice to have that kind of breakthrough with Neji.

"Now that I've solved everyone else's problems, where the hell is Sasuke?" I figured he would have been here by now. In fact, looking at my watch, I realized that the event would be over pretty soon. I leaned my hand onto the table next to me, wondering why he was taking so long. Didn't he understand how important this was to me? No, probably not since he skipped out on lunch today. And why did he do that anyways? He had yet to answer me. I had been so busy trying to fix the bon fire and the Hyuuga cousins that I never stopped to think about Sasuke's weird behavior. I had barely seen him at all today! Was he trying to avoid me? No, because he came to my class to see me today. So that didn't make sense. Then what was his deal? "Gah, he's giving me such a headache."

"You talking to yourself again, dobe?" For the second time that day, Sasuke had snuck up on me without my knowledge. Looking up, I instantly grinned when seeing Sasuke. Only it disappeared when I realized what he had said to me.

"No! Not really, anyways."

"Yeah, right." He reached into his pocket, pulling out his money and holding it out to me. "I pay here, right?"

"Are you going to tell me why you decided to show up so late into the night? With only a half hour left of the bon fire? "

"I was busy." My eye twitched at his answer.

"Busy? I told you about this hours ago! Why wouldn't you tell me you were busy when you promised you'd come earlier? God you are such a jerk!" I glared away from him, focusing on the water that lapped at the sand. He had no consideration for me or the things that were important to me. He didn't tell me when he was randomly made plans, and never let me into his private life. What was I getting out of this relationship? Or friendship. Or should've been a relationship, whatever they wanted to call us!

Either one didn't matter when I felt a delicate finger sliding against my bruised cheek. I winced, pulling away from the touch. Sasuke's other hand cupped my right cheek, forcing me to look up at him. I instantly blushed, the touch far more intimate than I expected.

"Who hit you?" I didn't respond for a second, not sure exactly sure what his motive was. Sasuke and Sakura both had been known to beat me up when I said something stupid, so he should have been used to me looking like this.

"Me and Neji got into a fight about his treatment of Hinata. I said something dumb and he…kind of socked me right across the face," I admitted, rubbing the back of my head at how stupid that sounded. He didn't seem pleased with my answer, pulling me closer to him to inspect the damage. His touch was so tender against my skin, that I shivered instead of winced. I watched him from the corner of my eye, amazed at the concern I saw reflected in his face. Just why was he paying such close attention to me when he didn't seem to give a damn about me all day?

"Something that makes Neji lose his temper must have been stupid, even for you." So much for caring. I could have gotten more sympathy from a sociopath. "You need ice."

"Thanks, I think I can take care of myself now." But when I tried to pull away from him, but he slinked an arm around my waist to keep me from moving.

"Obviously you can't. Otherwise you wouldn't have gotten hit." His smirk was pissing me off more than normally. He was actually taunting me for doing a good thing? That was not acceptable!

"If you don't let me go I swear I'll—"

"You'll what?" I stopped at his challenge, unsure of where to go next. Both in this situation and with our friendship. Just what were we talking about here? Or was I just reading into this entirely too much? Was this superlative thing just getting to me? From the arched eyebrow Sasuke sent me, I assumed it was. Did that mean I was the one being weird? This was getting more confusing by the second.

"Naruto! Hurry up and get over here, there're going to put out the fire in twenty minutes!" Thankfully I heard Ino calling for me, giving me a reason to break away from the unexplainable contact.

"Coming!" I looked back at him, hesitating before speaking. "You coming bastard?"

"I just paid ten bucks, why wouldn't I?" Well that was true. I wanted to make a comeback, but Sasuke unexpectedly continued. "You did well tonight, idiot."

"Huh?" I looked over to him, but he didn't stop walking toward the bonfire. I wanted to feel angry at just how cryptic he was being today, but somehow hearing him praise me allowed me to smile.

Damn him for that. And damn these unexplainable feelings he caused in me.

**Got to love that blond's heart, he sure takes a beating for everyone else. So, how did you like it? I've only really skimmed over Neji's character most stories, so I figured I'd bring him and Hinata into some of the main story line. But this is just the beginning! I can tell that this story is going to get verrrrryy interesting from the plot bunnies jumping around in my head. So, what was Sasuke doing all day? Will Neji ever support Hinata? Will Ino and Naruto's friendship cause rocky waters? And just how many sandwiches do you think Chouji ate? You'll find out some of these answers next time….if you review =)**


	3. The Trouble with Tea

**Hello everyone! I'm back with the third chapter of this little story of mine. I know it took a while, and I'm really sorry about that. BUT I did finish my book I was writing (yay me) and also I had some computer issues. I had written about half of the chapter when my flashdrive erased it. -.- So I had to start all over, but I think it came out way better the second time anyways! So without further adieu, here is the next part of the story!**

**Warning: There is a boyxboy lemon story. You have been warned! Mwhahahaha  
Disclaimer: -sips tea- I do not own Naruto…-sips more tea-**

**Chapter 3: The Trouble with Tea**

The bon fire was a success, excluding the weirdness of my best friend. Even after the weekend I heard kids going on about the memories they had made that night. But with that big fundraiser out of the way, my mind was set completely on the future. And with the week quickly flying by, the days dwindled before the most important day of the year. By Thursday's soccer game, I was hardly able to contain my excitement while kicking the ball between myself and Kiba.

"It's about time you finally tuned eighteen." I grinned over to my friend, who knew exactly why I was so pumped for tomorrow to come. He almost got the ball by me with his quick feet, but I trapped the ball under my cleat.

"Not to mention it's on a Friday. How lucky is that? Now we don't have to worry about a school curfew. We can party all night!" God must have liked me a little more than most to bless my eighteenth birthday on a Friday.

"Speaking of partying, you finally figure out what you want to do for it? The big day officially starts in eleven hours." Even though I was more than pumped to be a legal adult, I had yet to settle on an idea for my party. When I got the no from my parents for a party at the house, I had sorted through sixteen other options for my celebration. None had seemed to fit quite right for me. But my hope was not lost.

"I figure that we can't really do anything until after school. And our photo for our superlative is set up for tomorrow anyways, right? Add to the fact that almost every one of us has extracurricular activities tomorrow…" I was so caught up in my musing, that I didn't bother to look where I kicked the ball. I heard Kiba yell a warning before the ball smacked into something. Looking up, I laughed to see that I had hit Sasuke square in the chest with my kick, an annoyed look imprinted on his face.

"Watch where you're aiming, idiot." I ignored the insult while he kicked the ball back, realizing that he was much later than normal.

"Jeeze Sasuke, what took you so long? I'd say I was worried that you'd miss the game, but with me and Kiba on the team it's no biggie."

"You got that right!" The two of us bumped forearms and laughed, puffing our chests out at the mention of our skill. Sasuke didn't seem quite as amused, but nothing seemed to make the stubborn jerk smile.

"I had business to take care of with Sakura. We went over the new inductees of the History honor society over tea." I blinked at the explanation, slowly scowling without reason. Since when did Sasuke drink tea? And with Sakura, of all people? Last time I checked, he wanted nothing to do with the girl. The only reason I thought he still talked to her was because of me. Since when did they start getting so close?

"So you're finally hooking up with someone? About time you got yourself out there; for a little while I just assumed you were a eunuch or something." Before Sasuke could reply to Kiba's blunt statement, the coach called out the brunette's name and waved him over. "Got to run, looks like the coach wants to talk some plans over with me. Don't forget to figure out the plans for tomorrow, Naruto!"

"It's my birthday, who could forget that?" I laughed as the older teen rolled his eyes and moved away from Sasuke and myself, leaving us to finish warming up. Easily I kicked the ball to him, going back to what Kiba had said before he left. Was Sasuke really thinking about Sakura as something _other _than an annoyance?

"You still aren't aware of your preparations for tomorrow?" I looked up at the guy in question, shrugging my shoulders.

"Sometimes the best things aren't planned, you know? Besides, as long as I'm with my friends I don't really care what I do." I stopped the ball under my foot as I gave him an arched brow. "You better not bail on me tomorrow."

"I've already cleared my schedule out." The confirmation made me grin, probably more than I should have. He arched an eyebrow before crossing his arms. "You have nothing set up, yet demand people to make sure they are free."

"You're actually the only person I asked."

"Why?"

"Because you're my important person." Why was that so hard for him to understand? Even now he was looking at me like I was lying or something.

"Hn." I didn't like his response, but I continued with the conversation anyways.

"I kind of just assumed that everyone else would get the time off without me bugging them. But with you, it's much harder to get your undivided attention." Unless you're Sakura. My eyes slightly narrowed at the statement, putting more energy into my kick than I intended. We both watched the ball whiz past Sasuke's hip and crash into Lee's back. I blinked at my own strength as the lean boy stumbled, though quickly caught himself. Rubbing the back of my neck apologetically, I called out to Lee. "Sorry!"

"Don't fret my youthful friend!" Such a typical response from the happy kid. I caught the ball he threw back at me, dropping it to the grass and muttering to myself. When I looked back to Sasuke, I decided to prod a little more than I probably should have.

"So what's the deal with you and Sakura? You two sure have been chummy the past couple weeks."

"She's in three different AP classes with me, as well as two clubs. Not to mention she continues to follow you around, though I can't imagine why."

"But it's not like you just hang out with her in school. I've never even seen you drink tea; what's up with that?" I didn't know why I felt so irritated with the situation. Maybe it was because I was worried that he was going to hurt Sakura again. Or the fact that she seemed to get to spend more time with my best friend than I did. What seemed like such a challenge to me was easy for Sakura, who got to see him several times in school as well as out of it.

"We both like tea, and there is a shop within walking distance from the school. Is there a problem with me liking tea?" I fumed at how casual he sounded, like his behavior was normal. If anything, I knew Sasuke despised hanging around girls! Never mind one who used to cling to him like a wet piece of paper.

"You never told me you liked tea, you know,"

"Was I supposed to?"

"No! Drink as much tea as you want with her, I don't care. I mean, it's not like we're married or anything," I muttered, not exactly sure why I was so hung up on this tea thing. He scowled at me, slowly making his way toward me while he spoke.

"Maybe your constant talk of marriage is why people think we're a couple." I blushed as I looked up at him, sputtering to try and say something back. Whenever he brought up the topic of our superlative, I always seemed to get tongue tied. And it wasn't just him either. Ever since the bon fire, I lost the ability to speak when people mentioned our pairing. It didn't help much that Ino took great joy in getting me all flustered in public that way. Why I continued to be friends with her, I couldn't imagine. I looked up at him, hating how obvious it was that he was taller than me. He was so close now, that I could actually smell the Axe body soap he used. Despite how much I mentally denied it, I always liked the scent.

"Don't…talk about it," I muttered, not liking how soft my voice got.

"Hn." If he noticed he remained quiet about it, leaving us in an uncomfortable silence. Okay, maybe God didn't like me so much.

"Naruto!" Thankful for any type of distraction, I turned away from Sasuke to see Ino running across the field. She easily jumped over a soccer ball being kicked before she stopped in front of me, placing her hands onto her knees and panting heavily. "Jesus I used to run this field? I seriously must have been crazy freshman year."

"You're pretty out of shape there for such a little body." She glared over to me, finally rising to her full height and throwing something at my face. Orange blurred my vision before I yanked the fuzzy obstruction out of my way, looking down to the headband in my hands.

"Next time I find this thing on the ground, I'm not going to come bring it to you."

"You found my lucky sweatband! I was looking all over for this thing in the locker room."

"I saw it in the cafeteria on my way here. Knowing you were the only one who would wear such an obnoxious color, I figured I'd come bring it to you." I smiled at her, securing the band on my head.

"I must have dropped it when I stopped to talk to Hinata about my birthday. If you hadn't found it, who knows how I would have played in today's game." Despite knowing how good I was, my lucky headband was always a comfort to have on for each game. I had first worn it my sophomore year, getting my first hat trick the same night. Ever since, I had always worn it for good luck. "You are truly amazing Ino. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Oh stop that, you don't have to give me compliments. But, if you feel you must, who am I to stop you?" Her coy response made us both laugh, knowing the Ino was not shy when it came to praise. She was a girl, after all. Our good mood got sliced when a bitter voice entered the conversation.

"To rely on something for skill makes you an even bigger idiot than I thought." Well wasn't Sasuke such a ray of sunshine. He turned his attention to Ino, barely giving her a glance before turning away. "I suggest you get your friend off the field before she gets you in trouble."

"Nice to see you too, Sasuke," Ino muttered, her hands finding her hips as the moody guy walked away. Irritated at being ignored, the blonde let out a huff of air and turned to me. "What is his deal with me? We've never had a problem until a couple weeks ago. I have gym with him and Shikamaru, and he refuses to even make conversation with me. It's like he blames me for his haircut or something. That would put me in a bitchy mood too."

"I think it has something to do with the Eifel tower being lodged in his ass," I replied, used to the mood swings he always had. I turned back to her, mumbling. "He'll probably just bitch to Sakura about it over six cups of tea."

"Yeah, I noticed he's been hogging my best friend's attention lately. She even ditched plans with me yesterday to study after school with him." Well that made my eye twitch. Just how many things could the two of them seriously have in common? Ino leaned closer to me, her voice lowering to a whisper. "You don't think he's cheating on you, do you?"

"No, Sasuke's not the kind to chea—HEY!" By the time I realized what she was suggesting she was gone; Ino jogging back across the field. Even from here I could hear her laughter, which embarrassed me more. Trying to rub the blush out of my face with my palms, I headed back to my team while the whistle for the game to start went off. I knew it was stupid, but I made sure to keep my distance from Sasuke. Though I knew that I should have been happy that he was finally letting other people into his life, I wasn't. It was a complex feeling that I was experiencing, and no matter what I did the puddle of jealousy in my stomach refused to drain away. Thinking of myself as selfish made it impossible to face him, so I avoided him throughout the entire game. I knew he noticed by the glances he sent to me whenever we ran past each other, but I refused to make eye contact. Even when he kicked the winning goal in the game (who expected less), I avoided the team's joint congratulations in order to pack up my stuff. Hell, I even offered to put away all of the equipment just to stall for time. His locker was right next to mine, after all.

I waved by to Kiba as I walked across the parking lot, mentally cheering when I realized most of my teammate's cars were gone. My ingenious plan came to halt when I saw the only car that was left was Sasuke's. Stupidly I forgot that Sasuke always took the longest after games, refusing to leave without taking a shower. And since puberty, he refused to shower unless there was nobody else around. Well, so much for my moment of brilliance. I took a deep breath while I entered the unnaturally quiet locker room, my cleats announcing my arrival. I walked to the area that my locker was in while praying Sasuke was still showering. No such luck came to me when I noticed the duck butt hairdo staring straight at me.

"You're worse than a girl," I spat out, angrier at myself than him. He looked up from packing his uniform, and I begrudgingly noticed he had yet to put his shirt on. A towel was wrapped around his neck in a way that screamed athletic. Or maybe that was his muscle tone; I wasn't really trying to think about it.

"Hn." He turned back to his packing, and I moved next to him while yanking my shorts down. I kicked the garment into the corner and opened my locker at the same time, feeling good about multi-tasking. Once I got my locker open, I made a move to take off my shirt when Sasuke's voice broke the silence. "There are changing stalls for a reason."

"Says the guy who was shirtless when I came in. Besides, it's not like you have never seen me naked before. I mean I understand you worrying about my body looking better than yours, but I'm sure someone will go for your scrawny features." As I said it I shrugged one arm out of my jersey, yanking the whole thing over my head and with my other stuff. I looked over to him, slightly amused by his discomfort. Even though I still had boxers on, I could see the lack of clothing bothered him. Good, it was about time he wasn't so cool and confident with himself.

"I thought I was alone." I scoffed at his reply while starting to put my shirt on.

"I'm half surprised Sakura isn't in here with you." The black shirt had just passed my eyes when something hard shoved me into the lockers. I cried out in protest when something pinned the shirt and my arms above me, causing the hem to press just under my eyes. I was blind, but knew it was Sasuke who was in front of me.

"You idiot." My breath came out shakily when I could feel his words vibrating in the chest that was pressed to mine. Maybe it was because I never really saw Sasuke de-clothed anymore, but he sure had filled out the past few years. I struggled to get the fabric off of my eyes, but his hand kept my shirt from budging an inch.

"W-What the hell has gotten into you? I swear I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Why are you so threatened by Sakura?" His blunt question made me tense, the same thought process going through my head all day. What was he a mind reader or something? See, this is why I was trying to avoid him! Knowing that too much silence had gone between us, I fought to get out of his hold while trying to answer.

"I'm not threatened!"

"You're acting ridiculous then."

"Why the hell would I ever worry about her? You've already said no to her once, I'm not stupid. It's not like she's going to rep-replace me or anything! I mean…I'm always saying how important you are to me; you know you're my best friend. No girl or nothing comes between us, right? So why should I care if you two like tea? Or you're both super smart and have lots more in common. It's not like I…" _like I'm scared to be forgotten by you. _I bit my lip as I felt myself stop fighting against him, unwillingly letting my cheeks brighten. This was so stupid. My insecurity was so bad I was starting to sound like Hinata. There was no way to get out of this looking manly.

"…Moron." Great, just how I was hoping he would reply. I finally shook my head enough to get the cloth off my eyes, glaring up at him. My plan was to yell a bunch of bullshit and run out with what little pride I had left. I instantly became dumbstruck when I got a glimpse at something I knew he hadn't wanted me to see. Within a second his hand was over my eyes, but it didn't stop them from widening in shock. I was so dazed by the scene, I didn't even notice him grabbing his stuff and silently leaving the locker room. My back made a squeak against the lockers while I slid to the ground, unsure of why I couldn't stop the butterflies from going frantic in my stomach. Or why I was still blushing. Or why my arms tingled from where he touched me. But the one thing I was sure of was making me grin wider than I ever had before.

"That bastard was definitely blushing."

* * *

By the time I had gotten dressed and all of my thoughts under (semi) control, I finally left the school and threw my gym bag into the back of my car. Once getting comfortable in my driver's seat, I checked my phone to see I had a text message from Sakura.

"Don't worry about your party; Ino and I have been planning it all along. Dress up in some nice clothes and meet at Ino's house at seven." After reading her text, I felt a bit guilty for the negative feelings I had been thinking about all day. Really it wasn't her I was mad at so much as Sasuke. And even with him, I wasn't sure if the emotion was really anger. Deciding that thinking about Sasuke _again _was not a good plan, I turned my car on and headed home. I had just gotten through the door when my mom's cooking hit my nose. I sighed in contentment at the same time my stomach grumbled.

"Hello dear, how was school? Did you win your game?" I looked up at my mom, her exotic hair pulled back into a bun. Now I could see clearly she was finishing sloppy joes, making me lick my lips.

"It went good; we won. That bastard got the winning shot again." I winced when she suddenly hit my forehead with the back of the spatula.

"Don't swear!" She was the one who I learned it from! Still, I decided not to risk saying that in order to focus on the real prize.

"You make enough for me to eat too? I haven't eaten since lunch and I'm starving."

"Of course I did. Your father didn't want to wait, but I figured you'd be hungry."

"Like the old man really needs any more food in him," I mumbled, snickering when I hear a loud crash in the other room.

"I heard that you know." Eyes that matched my own peered around the corner to stare at me.

"You fall out of your chair again, sweetie?" Mom closed her eyes when he walked over and kissed her cheek, placing a loving hand against the small of her back. I hated watching them be mushy, though I knew it was because it made me feel slightly empty. I was lucky to have parents whose biggest fight was the amount of money they spent on each other for Christmas. It was true love they possessed, the kind that everyone secretly wanted. A part of me worried that I would never find it, despite how young I was.

"It's because of that crack in the wood; my wheel always gets stuck. I should fix that soon." He nuzzled her neck and then moved to sit across from me at the table. "So, you excited for tomorrow?"

"Way more than you think. I'm so ready to be an adult!" Both of my parents chuckled at my excitement, which made me scowl. "What's so funny?"

"You really shouldn't wish your childhood away so fast. Even if you're legally an adult now, you still have time to enjoy your teen years. We won't make you grow up anytime soon."

"Says the one who moved out of his house two days after turning eighteen," My mother said, giggling while placing our plates in front of us. I dug in quickly, completely famished from earlier. My father simply smiled before responding.

"I was young and in love with the most beautiful woman in the world. I wanted to start my life with her as soon as I could."

"I thought it was because your dad was going to start charging you rent?" I asked through a mouthful of food. I couldn't stop my grin when my father tensed.

"Little details like that don't matter," He answered quickly. My mother arched an eyebrow to him, though her smile showed she wasn't truly angry.

"Naruto, do me a favor. Wait until you and Sasuke have good paying jobs to move out. The years we spent living off ramen and tuna sandwiches were not one of your father's brighter ideas." The mention of her previous life made her seem to savor the next bite of her food.

"What's wrong with ramen? That sounds like a dream to me! Then again, Sasuke would have to fill the fridge with tomatoes and I don't think they would taste good together." I rubbed my jaw in thought for only a moment and then continued to eat my food. I didn't notice the glances my parents exchanged across the table or the predicted future my mother had just made for me.

"He definitely gets that from you," my mother said, both of them laughing while I stared dumbfounded at the statement.

* * *

"Don't you think this is a little too much?" I yanked at the giant bow around my neck, which matched the rosy red color of the fake nose I now sported. A rainbow colored wig rested on my head, as well at the guy beside me. Just how stupid did we look? Then again, it was for the 'class clown' superlative. Dressing up as clowns made sense.

"I think you guys look cute," Tenten said, smiling while she fixed Kiba's flower pinned to his shirt. Once we were positioned the way the photographer wanted, she ran behind the camera. "Okay, now hold the pies pans like you two are going to hit each other and I'll take the picture."

"Are you sure I can't really hit him with it? It is his birthday after all. And it is just whipped cream." I could see by the way his hand was twitching that he was itching to actually do it too. I smirked, gently shifting my own pie pan as if challenging him to make the first move.

"Now boys, let's not make a mess. I'm sure that we can be adults for just a little while longer. After I get the shot, you can do whatever you want. Just remember you have to clean up. And since I know about this really cool party tonight, I don't think you want to spend your night here playing janitor." Damn, Tenten had a point. I looked over at her, seeing this as an opportunity to get some information.

"You don't happen to know exactly what this party is going to entail?" She laughed while she took a shot of us. After a few more snaps, she lifted her head to look above the camera.

"I'm not saying a thing. But trust me when I say we're going to have a blast tonight." Well, there was still one hope left…

"Don't even bother asking me; I've been sworn secrecy by the girls. If I say a word, they're going to keep me away from Hinata all night. And at a party like this, I'd rather have her wrapped around my arm." Was he trying to send me a hint? I thought about the statement, trying to decipher what he was saying. What kind of party would Kiba want to be near Hinata for? Guess that ruled out bowling and laser tag.

"Just relax Naruto. Don't you trust us?"

"It's not that; I just hate being kept in the dark!" The two laughed at my whining before we switched positions, pretending to shoot each other with the water flowers. Despite looking like a fool, I had to admit that this photo shoot was pretty fun. And I had two more to do? Good thing I had a killer smile.

"And done! I think we've got enough pictures for the yearbook."

"Ah, Tenten. I see you've found a profession perfect for these two baboons." I glanced over to the arrogant voice, instantly knowing it was Neji. Despite our last conversation, he still seemed to have a huge chip on his shoulder. The only improvement I had seen from him was his willingness to help improve ideas that Hinata suggested at meetings instead of simply bashing them into the ground. With the two of them working as a team, it was amazing how efficient everything was becoming. While me and Ino took cake of publicity and school boards, Neji and Hinata figured out time schedules and budgets for each event. If they kept this up, who knew how much money our class could get by the end of the year.

Still, the guy needed to loosen up.

"You know, I think I may have to risk being a little late for that party tonight." At my wicked smile Tenten blinked before a sudden realization dawned on her.

"Naruto I don't think—" Too late. Before she could finish I launched at Neji, who easily evaded the fist I sent at him. What he missed, however, was the pie conveniently placed just to side of him. When he turned I grinned, feeling his face hit straight into the whipped cream pan. Kiba howled and Tenten gasped at something only I could dare to do.

"That, Neji, was the best birthday present I could ever ask for." And despite the extra hour I was stuck at the school (between running for my life and cleaning up my mess) it would be one of my favorite memories of high school.

I carried the energy of the day into the night, heading straight to Ino's from the school. Once at the lavish house I showered and dressed myself exactly as Sakura had asked. I combed my hair the best I could, taking one look in the mirror before giving myself a low whistle. Wearing a red button up shirt, I had rolled up my sleeves up to my elbows. I had left it open with a white tank top underneath, along with black slacks and black dress shoes. My hair was still a mess, but all in all I looked good enough to woo a few girls. A silver watch hung from my wrist, a present from Sasuke last year. Running my fingers over the face of the accessory, my thought stumbled over my best friend. I wonder what he'd look like tonight.

"Hurry up Naruto! We don't have all night!" At Sakura's shout, I moved out of the bathroom. I tugged at the collar of the shirt nervously. I didn't know why, but I certainly knew _who_ I was so nervous over.

"Happy birthday Naruto!" I scanned my group of friends at the bottom of the stairs, amazed at how remarkable everyone looked. When we wanted to be, we sure were an attractive group of people. I faltered on the stairs when I caught sight of Sasuke, making instant eye contact. Dressed similar to me, his open shirt was made of black silk that screamed how wealthy his family was. Underneath peeked out a grey tank top, which left little doubt that what I felt against me last night was an illusion. His pants were similar to mine, a black belt keeping them around his hips. The blush I had seen before was completely gone, an impassive look meeting my own.

"Jesus there's a lot of us isn't there? How many cars are we going to need?" I asked, looking to the two grinning girls. From what I could count, there were about eleven of us in the group.

"Don't worry about the ride; we've got that figured out." And true to their word, they did. My mouth dropped open at the sight of a white stretched limousine pulling in front of the house.

"Holy shit, how did you guys get this?"

"Um…" I looked back to Hinata, who was flushed as she spoke quietly. "Because o-of my family's business, I as-asked for a fa-favor from one of our clients. She wa-was happy to help out your birthday surprise."

"Hinata you rock! I've never been in a limo before." I barely had time to admire the outside of it before Ino was grabbing my hand, yanking me quickly inside. We crawled across the huge seat, which left room for everyone to pile in. Even as Chouji shut the door, we all had plenty of room to spare. Having friends in high places seemed to pay off at times. Though the fridges were only supplied with sparkling cider, we all took a glass and pretended it was the real deal. I didn't know where we were going, but so far the night had been a blast. I got a kick out of watching Ino link arms with Shikamaru while drinking from her glass, which got the boy blushing. Neji constantly glared at Kiba's arm around Hinata, but did not ruin the night by speaking about it. I even convinced Lee to stick his head out of the moon roof and proclaim his everlasting love to Sakura. That got me a few birthday punches.

When we finally stopped at whatever place they were taking me, I was caught off guard by the sound of water. It took me a second to realize just where we were.

"No wonder I had to dress nicely," I muttered, looking at the Italian named restaurant in front of me. It was a banquet styled restaurant known for their exquisite food. I wondered why they would choose such a big place, but instantly understood when I walked into a room full of people. My parents, as well as everyone else's were there, along with a huge group of kids from my school. I noticed that our principal Jiraiya and vice principal Tsunade had even joined into the festivities. They all cheered out 'surprise' when I walked in, some popping party streamers and others clapping. Despite my surprise I laughed, astonished at how far my friends went for my birthday. How the hell had they planned this all without me knowing?

"You really are the most oblivious person, you know that?" I glared over to Neji, who still seemed sour about my earlier prank. He rolled his eyes and continued. "They planned this whole thing right under your nose. Even Kiba caught on before you did."

"It was really hard to say no to you about your party, but we didn't want to ruin your friend's plans. Plus, this kept our house intact," My mother said, taking the glass of wine my father handed her and smiling.

"Even you two knew about it? Was there anyone who was in the dark?" I asked, feeling stupid as well as amused.

"Not really," Sakura said, smiling proudly at me. And she had every right to be. I looked around the room, amazed at how many people there were. Now this was the kind of party fit for Naruto Uzumaki!

"There's a dance floor and a terrace that leads to the ocean," I looked up at the new voice, surprised to see my history teacher in a tux. Instinctually I looked to Sasuke, who honed his eyes on the silver haired man. I looked back to Kakashi, who now presented me with a small wrapped gift. "It's not much, but I'm sure you'd like this."

"And here I thought giving a student a present would be against school rules." Still I opened it, seeing couple pieces of paper folded neatly into a square. When I opened it, I stared in shock at what I saw. "I got a ninety five on the test?!"

"Plus two points." He smiled with his eyes, which seemed contagious to me.

"Congrats Naruto!" My friends patted me on the back, and I shoved the test into my pocket while bowing to Kakashi.

"Thank you for bringing this to me."

"It's not polite to come to a party without a gift. Then again, when your function hall is holding the event, I guess this small present will suffice."

"You own this?!"

"I inherited money from my father's passing. One of the things I had always wanted to own was my own restaurant. But, since I'm not much for management and business is too structured for me, I co-own with Sasuke's father. We actually worked together in my father's company while I was in graduate school, and had spoken of his desire to manage his own business. I seized the chance, and here we are. I am a very busy man, as you can see." No shit. A teacher as well as an owner of a highly successful restaurant? Just how did he have time for it all? It made my head hurt just thinking about it. Kakashi snagged an appetizer from a waitress that passed by, eating the cheese and meat combination quietly.

"So that's how Sasuke knows you," I said, finally piecing together their connection. I looked over to Sasuke, but blinked when I realized he was nowhere to be found. He really didn't like to be around Kakashi, did he?

"Sasuke has known me almost his entire life; I am his Godfather after all." What? Was that even allowed between the student and teacher?! I stopped when I realized quickly my Godfather was Jiraiya, who was above Kakashi. This was an extremely close knit town.

"So if you're so close to him, why does he hate you?"

"Because my father's business was the one who offered Itachi his job in Japan. At my request." Well yeah, that would probably do it. I remembered that very depressing time in Sasuke's life; back when we had first started to become friends. When Itachi had finished high school, he had amazing grades and got accepted by many different colleges. Sasuke had always admired his brother, and tried to follow him wherever he went. That all changed when Itachi announced that he would be attending a college in Japan, in order to major in electronics. There was a business there that had offered to pay for all of his schooling if he would work for them afterwards. Sasuke had been hurt badly, but refused to admit that he felt abandoned. Since then the two had drifted apart, and Sasuke barely spoke to his brother anymore. From what I knew Itachi was doing extremely well in his position, and had married. The man had not come back to the states since, but kept close contact with his parents.

"So he thinks you're going to take me away too?" Kakashi took a sip of his champagne and smiled in a way that told me he knew something I didn't.

"Sasuke doesn't like to share his property with anyone else. Especially me." Well that was a weird way to put it. I squirmed at the idea of being owned. What was I a dog or something? Somehow, I kind of felt like that wasn't how it was intended. I turned my attention back to Kakashi, who leaned forward and gently clicked his drink against the one I had brought in from the limo. "I think it's time I make my way around the room. You should as well; this is all about you after all."

"Yeah I guess…" Still, I felt a little unsettled at the ending of our conversation. I walked around the room, trying to let myself get swallowed up by the atmosphere of the party. Dinner was perfect, as expected from such a high quality restaurant. I laughed and joked around with everyone, getting shocked again when Hinata brought out a cake made for a king. I had received tons of presents and then spent some time on the dance floor with Tenten and Sakura. Even the music was to my liking. This party was perfect.

So why I found myself pushing open the terrace doors to escape from it all, I wasn't sure. The cool ocean air felt amazing on my skin, which was overheated from all the moving around. I shrugged off my red shirt and left it with my socks and shoes on the wooden deck. The sand was still warm from the sun earlier in the day, and I wiggled my toes in it. It only took a few seconds of walking to hit the water, yanking my pants up so they wouldn't get wet. At peace with the silence around me, I closed my eyes and tried to figure out the meaning behind Kakashi's words.

What Sasuke and I shared wasn't normal. Sure, we were best friends in middle school. It had been fine then. But after entering high school, something did change within us. Our bond grew to something different. What that was seemed to be hard to define. I would do anything for Sasuke, and he knew that. If we didn't see each other for a while, I got lonely and it hurt. Whenever he entered a room, it made me smile like an idiot. And recently, my body had even started to react to his closeness. Not to mention we were nominated for something that should have grossed us out way more than it did. In fact, I hadn't really felt any ill feelings other than embarrassment. It didn't ruin our friendship at all. And now Kakashi claimed Sasuke "owned" me? Was that truly what a best friend was?

"Waves coming." As soon as I heard the voice, a cold splash of water soaked the bottom of my pants. I swore, then backed up slightly to hit into the owner of the warning. I tensed, but tried to play it casual as I glanced up to Sasuke. I didn't turn around, keeping my head tilted back while I spoke.

"What are you doing out here? I thought you hated the beach."

"I saw you and came to see why an idiot would leave his own party to stand in the ocean." I stared at him, wondering if his insult was to cover the fact that he was looking for me. Damnit, why was I thinking like this?

"I just needed some space."

"There's enough in your head."

"That's not what my test says!" As if the paper would prove I had a brain, I yanked it out and showed him again. He scoffed, looking away.

"That proves nothing."

"What do you mean?! Just because it was from—" I stopped myself, bringing the topic back to the man who sent me out here. I let out a slow breath, trying not to yell. "I just needed some time to think."

"Anything in particular?" How was I supposed to say what I was tossing around in my head? I didn't even really know what I had concluded. It was like the water, dark and completely unknown. Would telling Sasuke change any of that?

"I guess not."

"That sounds convincing," he replied, which made me look away. I felt a hand press to my arm, the dark voice barely softening. "And you say I'm too secluded."

"That's because you're afraid of social contact." That was a lie. A sharp bite of jealousy struck me when I imagined Sakura laughing across a table from Sasuke. I had never hated a beverage as much as tea.

"We should head back. You'll freeze to death at your own party," It was when I felt the warm of his touch leave me chilled skin that I spoke.

"Do you think we fit into the category of best friends?" I know I sounded crazy, especially from the way he stared at me. I refused to back down, taking a step closer to him. I shivered when the ocean's air hit my exposed skin, regretting not taking the shirt with me. "I mean, what do you think a best friend really is?"

"Where is this coming from?" At his question I blanked. So much for my previous resolve to stand and fight. Was I seriously going to ask Sasuke if he felt something…_intimate_ for me?! Panicking I waved my hands in front of me, trying to erase the awkward atmosphere around us.

"Sorry, I let Kakashi get in my head! Just forget I said anything. Best friends until the end, right?" But life was never that easy for me. Before I had a second to react he reached for me, yanking me back into him. I seriously wanted to argue with him as well as my body for shivering against his. I jumped when a hand slipped underneath my shirt to rest on my back a second before my lips were ensnared into a kiss.

Well, this was new. Like someone had lit a firework off in my stomach, I felt fire and sparks inside of me like never before. Sasuke's kiss was definitely different. He didn't wait for my approval as he pushed his mouth against mine, coaxing me to part my lips to him. It was demanding and aggressive. Alluring and passionate. Something girls would demand for their first kiss. Something that made my entire body quiver with intense feelings. I cupped his face in my hands, determined to give just as much back as I was receiving. Water continued to soak my pant legs, but it barely crossed my mind before his tongue erased it. Where had this guy learned to kiss so perfectly?

His hand grasped at my back, proving he wasn't happy with something I said. I retaliated with a bite on his lower lip, parting them enough for my own tongue to wage war. My hands were now in his hair, which was so much softer than I thought. I had to stand on my tiptoes to keep the same height as him, but for once it didn't bother me. I moaned softly into his mouth when his free hand brushed the sensitive nerves of my exposed hip, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Sasuke was nothing but pure energy and in that moment I wanted to capture him for myself. No more Sakura, no more Kakashi, and no more God damn tea!

It was only when we started to pull away from each other that reality hit into me. What the heck was I doing?! Or even thinking for that matter? Did I just kiss Sasuke? Did I let Sasuke kiss me? Frantically I moved away from him, rubbing my lips with my fingers to try and erase the tingling feeling left by Sasuke's mouth. Just what did the limo driver put in that sparkling water? I looked up at him, but I was at a loss for words. He stood silent, his serious expression not telling me what he was feeling. Was he even affected at all? This couldn't be happening.

"I-I've got to…" I couldn't form another word. Unable to face my feelings I ran past Sasuke, closing my eyes and praying he wouldn't follow me. Forgetting my lack of attire I re-entered the banquet in a daze. I scanned the room, unsure of what I was looking for until I saw a blonde ponytail swaying in front of me. Ignoring the fact that she was in the middle of a conversation, I yanked Ino away from her lazy counter partner to stare into her shocked eyes.

"Naruto, what's wrong? Did something happen to you? Where are your shoes, and your shirt!" I wanted to tell her to shut up and forget about the little things. I needed to shout how I was feeling. How the kiss felt amazing and maybe I felt something a little more than friendship in the way his hand touched my hip. That his eyes still burned inside my head, and all I could smell was his cologne on my skin. How if I thought about it for more than a nanosecond, I would probably wanted to go back and kiss him again. Seriously I wanted to tell her that. But when my mouth opened, fear changed my train of thought into something completely different.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

…**.How's that for an ending? I know some of you will probably kill me…but if you do there will be no more SasuNaru! So how did you like this chapter? I would LOVE for someone to draw the Kiba/Naruto superlative picture, because it would be so cute! I would, but I am not blessed with artist skills . So anyways! Will Ino accept Naruto's date request? How will Sasuke react? Will their friendship be ruined? And who else enjoyed Neji getting creamed? For all the answers and more, wait for the next chapter! See ya soon! **


	4. A Push in the Right Direction

**Hello everyone! So I know that I've been gone for a really long time, but my two year relationship just ended two days before my parents told me they were getting a divorce. For those reasons, I really have been unable to find inspiration to write for months. But, after realizing I couldn't just leave this story unfinished, I'm back. I hope that you'll forgive my absence and enjoy this chapter =)**

**Warning: You'll never look at Laser Tag the same way -snickers- **

**Disclaimer: I can't handle my own life, never mind own the Naruto series! -.-**

**Chapter 4- A Push in the Right Direction**

"What on earth possessed you to do that?" Well, I should have seen this coming. Quietly I kept my head lowered, staring at my lap while a very confused girl stood in front of me. Just, not the girl I was expecting.

"Jesus Sakura, what's the big deal?" Ino asked, crossing her arms while leaning against one of the sinks. In truth, Ino was handling this way better than I thought she was going to. At first, her shocked face had made me think that she was going to deny me at my own birthday party. Then, with a few seconds to mull over the question, she agreed to my date. And here I thought I was going to have to beg her. I was extremely satisfied with my decision to ask Ino until a certain pink-haired girl nabbed me by the ear and dragged me into my current holding cell. Sakura had kidnapped myself and my blonde friend and locked us into the girl's bathroom. From the way she was glaring at me, I was half surprised that she wasn't tearing down the wallpaper. Then again, we were still in the banquet hall, so it wasn't our property. The only reason I wasn't making a desperate escape out the little window next to the sinks was because Kakashi would probably fail me if I destroyed his bathroom.

"Did you really have to drag me in here? A closet or even the patio would have been fine too. I feel all….feminine." I looked to the door, which had a chair propped underneath the handle to keep everyone out. Already two people had tried to come in, probably to use the bathroom for its actual purpose. Sakura had ignored their knocking until they got the hint and left. But it was only a matter of time until someone came and broke the damn door down. The true question was if I would still be alive by the time back up got here.

"You're lucky I'm not drowning you in the ocean. What would make you think that you two going on a date would even make an ounce of sense? You-" She pointed to Ino, who looked surprised to have hurricane Sakura attacking her first. "Why did you say yes? You have been desperately trying to get Shikamaru to take you seriously, and tonight was the night. But instead of getting a date out of someone with half a brain, you choose Naruto."

"Whoa, it is _still _my birthday you know!" I instantly shut up when blazing green eyes turned their destructive gaze toward me.

"Don't worry; I'll get to you next." She sure was scary. I trembled for a moment, thankful I was in a bathroom in case she made me piss myself.

"Shikamaru wasn't making a single move on me all night. I wore this gorgeous dress, got my hair and make-up perfect, and have been flirting with him since the limo ride. It's been hours, and the lazy boy refuses to even make mention of dinner or even a stay at home movie. From what I can tell, he's never going to make the first move unless I show him that other guys out there will. Naruto's hot, and he's way more outgoing than Shikamaru. What better person to go on a date with? If Shikamaru isn't man enough to step up, then I'll find someone who is." Ino's logic was sound, despite how frustrated Sakura looked. I knew deep down she was just trying to find Ino and I happiness, but why was she so against us going out? Ever since the two of us had gotten close, Sakura had always seemed to be on edge about our friendship. But she never spoke about it. Until now.

"You can't just use Naruto as a trial date."

"Why not? He's using me to prove he's not into men." I gaped at Ino's blunt statement, then blushed and stomped my foot.

"I am not!" Both girls looked at me, one with an arched eyebrow and the other with a scowl.

"Then why did you ask me? Let me remind you of the dismantled look after you and Sasuke's sudden appearance from the patio. Something happened, didn't it?" I pressed my hand to my mouth, glaring at my quirky friend. Ino sure didn't like to sugarcoat did she? I took a quick breath while my mind scrambled to think about my reasoning for asking Ino on a date.

"No. It's just like you said. You're cute and I need to start dating again if I plan to get a girlfriend before I turn fifty. Hinata is dating Kiba. I don't really know Tenten well enough to ask her out. And Sakura's out of the question since she likes tea."

"What does tea have to do with _anything_?" Sakura asked, making me sneer instantly.

"I hate tea."

"Sasuke drinks tea."

"Shut up, Ino." She giggled while Sakura groaned, rubbing her temple with a pair of fingers.

"What is this really about, Naruto? Did something happen with Sasuke? And don't try to lie to me; I'm not in the mood." I wanted to know why she was so angry about the situation, but I knew she wasn't going to tell me. When Sakura got mad, it was quick and normally she was more embarrassed than pissed. But this was different. I could see that my asking Ino out had somehow set off true emotion in Sakura. Probably because she knew I wasn't looking for a real relationship with Ino. The guilt that I had felt last night grew when realizing all she ever did was try to make my life better. And here I was, lying to her and causing her unneeded frustration. The least I could do was tell the truth about _something._

"The bastard thought it was okay to kiss me," I mumbled, crossing my arms. I leaned back against the wall of the bathroom, keeping my embarrassed gaze on my now bare feet. What was I thinking not putting my shoes on? The bathroom floor had god knows what on it, and here I was without a single layer of protection. This was not the way I envisioned my birthday.

"Sasuke actually kissed you?" …Okay that response had much less surprise than I thought it would. I looked up to see Ino sighing and rubbing the bridge of her nose, as if I had told her I'd ran over her cell phone…again. Finally she looked up at me with a questioning tint in her seemingly kind eyes. "And?"

"And what?" I snapped, now noticing Sakura was unusually quiet. The smaller, more vindictive part of myself mentally cheered at that. Ha, stick that in your tea and drink it!

"Did you kiss him back?" Ino asked, dragging me away from my less than noble thoughts. I went to deny the outlandish statement only to realize that yes, I really had kissed him back. A lot too. I coughed awkwardly while thinking of a way to explain without sounding like I was enjoying the mini make-out moment.

"It was uh…well…I mean, we were kind of fighting in the kiss. And I couldn't exactly just beat the shit out of him; my parents would have killed me. It was just a friend's kiss!"

"A friend's kiss?" Sakura asked, throwing off the face of deep thought and replacing it with confusion.

"Yeah!" I winced at how quickly Ino started to laugh, the overreacting girl having to hold onto the sink to keep herself from keeling over. This was too embarrassing even for me to handle.

"Okay, so this…"friend's kiss"…did you like it?" I hated how Ino put quotations in the air like that, especially after such an awkward question. Why the heck would I like Sasuke kissing me? I mean, sure, he was pretty skilled with his mouth. And the way he grabbed at my lower back made me shiver in a way I knew wasn't normal. Plus the fact that it was Sasuke, the only guy I could ever think of actually kissing, made it half decent. Then there was his tongue tha—

Whoa. Why the heck did I remember so many details about this? And not one of them disgusted me or made me feel uncomfortable. In fact, I felt more awkward standing in the girl's room than I did when he kissed me. Was that normal? It didn't take a genius to figure out that no, fantasizing about the kiss you just had with your best friend is indeed not normal. But how the hell could I tell Sakura and Ino that? They'd think I was crazy! So after the long pause, I shook my head and stared away from them to look out the window.

"It was really gross and I don't want to talk about it!"

"So then you're not trying to use me to get over the smooch with Uchiha?"

"No, now stop saying it like that!" I snapped, not enjoying my obvious blush. Jesus, didn't this girl have a shred of compassion? I looked over to Sakura, who still didn't seem to be okay with the discussion we were having.

"I just don't know about you two…"

"So then just join us." Ino sounded like her suggestion was the most common solution.

"How can Sakura join us on a _date_? Isn't that kind of a pair thing?" Then again, how would I know? The last time I went on a date was a year ago. Ino's smile brightened at some ingenious plan she had thought of. I was almost scared to know.

"It's called double dating. Just have Sasuke come with us and it'll be fine!"

"No way!" I blinked at my sudden outburst, quickly trying to think of a logical reason why I wouldn't want the two of them to date. From the suspicious look on Ino's face, I could already tell she was making her own theories in her head. "I mean…no way that Sasuke would come out on a date with Sakura. He's the biggest anti-dater ever. I don't think the guy has ever even had a girlfriend before."

"That's why Sakura's perfect for this. Sakura is the only girl that Sasuke seems to even like talking to. We both know they hang out all the time together, so really it won't be any different than that." Yeah, except the fact it was _completely _different. I wanted to say that, but I knew I was already acting like a maniac. And really, why would I care who Sasuke dated? I should be happy for him, right? I looked to Sakura, realizing that she was a very good match for him. She was brilliant and beautiful, with enough niceness to ice his evil heart. Wasn't that what I should want for him?

"I guess you're right. The bastard better not be annoying or else I'm kicking his ass and taking you both out myself!" At my threat they both laughed, and the tension from earlier disappeared. After agreeing to the double date, Sakura unhinged the door and left us to go find Sasuke. Ino and I went in search of my shoes, spending the rest of the night dancing like there was no tomorrow. I tried to forget about Sasuke in every way possible, which was a little easier when I realized he wasn't even at the party anymore. I asked Sakura about it when we returned to the limo, and she said that he had left with Kakashi after her explanation of the double date. I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. Was Sasuke trying to avoid me after the kiss? Or maybe it was the fact that I was going on a date with Ino. Did he think that Ino and I actually had something going on? I smiled at the thought of Sasuke being jealous, but easily wiped it away when realizing that I had the same feelings about him and Sakura. Knowing they were going on a date didn't exactly sit well with me either.

When I got back to my house, it was already past midnight. My birthday was officially over. I threw my keys on the table and made my way up the stairs quietly, trying not to wake my parents. They had left the party early, saying that they were too old to be out past ten. Once I shut my bedroom door, I took off everything but my undershirt and boxers before flopping backwards onto my bed. Closing my eyes, I smiled when thinking of how amazing my friends were. Even their presents were fantastic. Kiba had bought me new cleats, and the Hyuuga cousins had a watch handcrafted with my name on it. Ino got me the Greenday CD I had been dying to buy, and Sakura got me a gift certificate to my favorite ramen store. There were tons more presents, and I barely could fit them into the back of my car. In fact, the only one that didn't give me a present was…

"Damnit." I threw my arm over my eyes, my hand clenched into a fist at the thought of Sasuke. Just what was it about him that made my stomach flip-flop so much? It wasn't like I was a teenage girl. Despite this knowledge, my heartbeat raced as my thoughts drifted toward the highlight of my night. Nothing compared to the kiss that he and I had shared. I tried to think about it with another person, like Ino or Sakura. Despite their obvious beauty, the image didn't have the same effect on me. Sasuke was just different in my eyes. Maybe he always had been. What did that really mean though? There was no real way I could have a crush on him, right? Besides the fact he was a guy (which was a pretty big thing to ignore) he was my best friend. I knew that trying to have any sort of romantic relationship with a best friend could completely destroy the friendship. If I really did develop feelings for Sasuke, would I ever be able to act on them knowing it put our friendship on the line?

I turned over onto my side, grabbing my phone to text Sasuke. If I wanted some answers, he was the person I had to talk to. But before I could look for his name, his face popped up onto my phone. I nearly dropped the phone in paranoid shock, but retained possession of it when realizing he was calling me. Crap. Texting Sasuke was fine because it gave me time to process what I was going to say. But being on the phone meant he would hear any hesitation or embarrassment in my tone.

Feeling unreasonably overwhelmed, I ignored his call and slammed the phone on the nightstand. It went silent for a moment, and then started again with a ringtone made specifically for Sasuke. I knew he wasn't going to take my hint. Ten minutes later, when the phone started to ring for the twelfth time, I could only guess how annoyed Sasuke was with me. If I kept letting the phone go to voicemail, I could pretend I was sleeping. But I did ignore the first call he sent me. Damnit. Sasuke was too smart to try and say that it was some sort of phone malfunction. With my inner voice screaming at me to run away, I slowly picked up phone to answer my best friend's call.

"Hello?" I tried to feign a sleepy voice despite my earlier reasoning. Maybe he wouldn't call me out on it.

"You're pretending to sleep after you ignored my phone call?" Or maybe he'd get right to the point. I nervously laughed, scratching the side of my head.

"I don't suppose you'd fall for me saying it was an accident, huh?" He snorted loud enough to wake up my entire house.

"Every year that goes by, another part of your brain is lost."

"Is this what you called me for? I'm kind of surprised you'd waste your precious time on something you could do tomorrow," I said. He fell silent, and I wondered if he was trying to figure out what to say next. Normally I was the one who was at loss of words with him. Sasuke seemed to always have confidence in whatever his mouth had planned to say. This was one of the few times I'd heard him falter.

"Sakura has informed me of a double date we're supposed to attend." I tensed at the topic, though I couldn't figure out why.

"Yeah, Ino dragged you into it because of Sakura. I told them you wouldn't want to go but Ino insisted."

"I wouldn't do something I had no interest in, I assure you of that."

"But…but you said yes to her." Another pause on the phone between us made me bite my lip. Just what the hell was he implying? "Did you hear me?"

"How could I not? You're not exactly quiet."

"So then why didn't you answer?"

"Because it was a brainless statement. I know I said yes to her, hence why I'm going. The real question should be why there is a date happening to begin with." I blinked once, surprised at how annoyed Sasuke sounded. Did it actually bother him that I was going on a date with someone? My stomach bubbled with a sense of pride, but I had to be sure.

"Probably because I asked Ino to go on a date with me."

"Why?"

"Well she wasn't going to ask me."

"Don't play the fool in the one moment you aren't," He snapped, which helped prove just how irritated he was with the date. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I flipped over onto my stomach. Teasing Sasuke like this was kind of fun. I was so used to his stoic mannerisms, that having a splash of irritation from him was refreshing.

"Ino's a pretty chill girl. Why wouldn't I ask her on a date? It's not like either one of us is really dating someone. And because of me, you got a date with Sakura." Unintentionally, my voice thinned out toward Sakura's name. If he heard it he didn't comment.

"Ino is a bimbo. She lacks any discipline and wastes her time flirting with boys instead of focusing on aspects in life that truly matter."

"Well that's a little harsh. Yeah Ino is social, but she's still on honor role. Who cares if she's not a know-it-all? I've got you and Shikamaru for that stuff."

"Another factor that annoys me about her. She states clear interest in Shikamaru, and yet allows you to take her out on a date."

"Because a date does not mean marriage. First Sakura and now you. God, if one date means marriage, then I don't want to know what our kiss would—" I slammed my mouth shut instantly, knowing that the damage was already done. Even though he wasn't there, I could feel myself getting embarrassed when visualizing the arched eyebrow he would have sent me. I knew there was a reason for why I didn't want to answer this phone call. He had a way to talk about everything I didn't want to bring up, whether intentional or not.

"Is Ino who you want?" I closed my eyes at the question he asked, thinking back to the kiss we had shared hours earlier. Even without him in the room, my skin tingled with the excitement of his kiss. We were electrifying together, no matter what I wanted to admit. Feeling suddenly "uncomfortable" laying on my stomach, I rolled over to stare up at the ceiling.  
"What does my wants got to do with you?" I asked quietly, trying to pretend that the images from the beach weren't wreaking havoc on my brain. I was almost embarrassed when I realized that my body was easily responding to the memory. How the hell did one kiss get me aroused? What was I, fifteen with my first wet dream? Annoyed with my own body, I tried to ignore it.

"Everything." My body twitched at the angered tone in his voice. Silence fell over the phone, and I prayed he couldn't hear the change in my breathing. I was trying to think of something to say, but I was worried. Sasuke always hinted at things, but never fully explained what he meant. What if I made the wrong assumption? I couldn't see him, which meant I was blind to any physical or facial clues. If I jumped to the wrong conclusion, it would destroyed our friendship. Sasuke was my most important person; I didn't want to lose him over something that may have all been a huge mistake. And I didn't want to talk about this over the phone anymore. If we were going to seriously explore the unknown territory, it should have been in person. I certainly wasn't ready to play Lewis and Clark with Sasuke via phone. Instead, I cleared my throat and switched to a much more comfortable topic.

"You…you never gave me a birthday present."

"You're an adult now; do you think presents are required?"

"What do you mean?! Everyone else got me one!"

"Am I supposed to be swayed by what our peers do?" I groaned in frustration, but was slightly glad the normal Sasuke was back. Maybe now I could get rid of my unreasonable "problem". Pressing the heel of my hand into my arousal, I focused on the conversation at hand.

"I'm your best friend! That's got to get me something." Something more than a lip-lock, anyways. Why I kept going back to that memory I wasn't sure, but it kept popping to the front of my mind.

"You're whining-"

"I am not!"

"-Without knowing if I actually got you something." I stopped, then eagerly responded.

"What did you get me?!"

"I'm not telling you, idiot. You can wait until you open it." Well when was that going to be? Next Christmas? If there was one thing I wasn't, it was patient. Without thinking of the consequences, I opened my mouth.

"Give me it tonight then!"

"Do you realize how late it is?" I looked to the clock, knowing full well it was already past one. Shit, it really was late. But deep down, a part of me wanted to see him. I couldn't tell why, but seeing Sasuke became more important than sleep.

"Who cares? My parents love you and I can't wait. Besides, it's your fault for leaving my birthday party early. You owe me the drive over here."

"Hn." I smiled at the annoyed grunt, knowing it wouldn't be long until he caved. Seriously, who could resist the Uzumaki charm for long?

"If you sleep over, I bet my mom will make you pancakes in the morninggggg!" I sang the last part, trying to make the deal sound more tempting. My mother had always had a soft spot for Sasuke, and treated him like her own whenever he slept over. Actually, probably better than me since she never bothered to make breakfast unless he was here. I should probably talk to her about that.

"Stop exploiting your mother for your own personal gain. She doesn't have to make me anything."

"Does that mean you're on your way?" As if on cue, I heard Sasuke's car starting in the background. That jerk was probably getting ready to leave as soon as I told him to come over. Despite my slight irritation, I felt myself smile. Sasuke was dragged into a lot of stupid situations because of me, and yet he never left my side. He was a best friend by every definition, no matter what Kakashi tried to imply. In fact, between the two of us, I probably owed him way more favors. Still, he never asked of anything from me.

"I'm driving down your street now; be waiting at the door." Even though he couldn't see me, I saluted the phone and rolled off my bed. I shivered at how cold the floor was on my feet, trying to stay quiet while I crept down the hallway. Both of my parents were deep sleepers, but being a little courteous never hurt anyone.

"Yes sir," I whispered, shutting the phone when I finally reached the door. I went to slip the device in my pocket, only to remember that I had taken off my pants earlier. Knowing that Sasuke was going to be there in a matter of seconds, I didn't bother trying to go back upstairs. Besides, I could always throw something on after he got there. Unlocking the door, I quietly peered out and winced when headlights blinded me from my driveway. I heard the quiet chirp of the car alarm before the headlights shut off. It took a few moments of blinking to restore the limited eyesight I had in the darkness of night. Still, I could make out the slender figure walking silently toward my door. He had ditched the dressy clothes and wore a pair of black sleep-pants and a grey hoodie. Though it was rare to ever see Sasuke in scrub clothes, he still looked better than most guys in tuxes. I guess attitude did make the outfit after all.

"Can you stare at me when I'm inside of the house?" I scoffed at his overconfident tone, but opened the door enough for him to sneak in. A blur of baby blue caught my eye, and I grinned when seeing a neatly wrapped present tucked underneath his arm. So the bastard did get me something in advance.

"I was looking at my present." And it also gave me a nice alibi for why I was staring a bit too long at my best friend. I shut the door quietly before turning back to him, holding back a shout when I saw him already ascending my stairs. Did he not remember he was a guest? Moving after him quickly, neither one of us made a sound before we ventured into the safety of my room. Once my door was shut, I turned to him and scowled. "You happy now?"

"I'll be content after you put some clothes on." I looked down at myself, scratching the slightly bared skin between my tank top and boxers.

"What the hell do these count as?"

"Undergarments." He said it with such an air of aristocracy that I had to ignore his order.

"It's what I sleep in, so deal with it." At my response he barely scrunched his nose and looked up at me with irritation.

"You've slept with pants on before in my presence."

"You seriously need to get over your fear of skin. It's not like I'm walking around naked here. And I've got news for you, buddy. If you plan on ever getting laid, you're going to have to be naked." My bluntness had never been a side of me that Sasuke enjoyed. I could see how easily I was getting under his skin by the way his glare increased.

"Because sex would be the first thing on every male's mind when visiting their friend in the middle of the night."

"That's how it happened with me. She called me up in the middle of the night, and we boned just like every American teenage couple."

"And look how that train wreck turned out." Well, he did have a point there. Unwillingly I glanced over his body, silently wondering if Sasuke had ever even thought of having sex before. Sure, he knew my sex life probably better than the people I had explored with. It wasn't much, but I had way more experience than him. Or, I thought at least. My head tilted to the side when I contemplated a side of Sasuke I had never given much thought to until this week.

"Would it be so bad?" I asked, crawling into the middle of the bed. I crossed my legs to give him room to sit. My body faced his while he kept his feet on the floor and stared at the wall in front of him.

"What?"

"You know…you having sex with someone." He scoffed, but didn't turn to face me. I squirmed a bit, uncomfortable with our position. I felt like I was talking to a wall with an ugly haircut.

"Who says I haven't?" My mind blanked at the question, and I nervously laughed to cover up my loss of words.

"You would have told me if you got laid! That's what a best friend is for." When he didn't respond to my comment, I grabbed his shoulder and shook it slightly. "Come on Sasuke, don't be an asshole."

"Hn."

"Hey…you didn't really sleep with someone, right?" Sasuke's nonchalant nature was seriously starting to piss me off. Why the hell wouldn't he tell me if he'd had sex? I mean, I knew he was a conservative guy who liked his privacy, but this was completely different! All of the guys in our group, whether quiet or loud as a blow horn, had dished some information about their trip around the bases. Kiba had basically written it in the skyline for me when he hit a home-run his freshman year. Being on the soccer team did have its perks with the girls in our school. Neji may have still been a virgin, but he had spent some time at third base with a few girls. Lee was still in the batter's box of sex, forever searching for the true love of his life. Even Shikamaru had hit a double during his summer in Spain last year. Ino had avoided him for three months after it. With Sasuke, we just assumed he wasn't planning on getting off the bench for a while.

In fact, the only one who _didn't _say much about their sex life was me. Though they knew I had been around the bases, nobody but Sasuke knew the true story behind it. The reason? I was still kind of embarrassed to admit I didn't enjoy sex nearly as much as the others did. They made it sound like the best thing since sliced bread. Every one of them had details that made the other guys snicker or nod in appreciation. But to me? Sex was bland, boring, and I never could open up to them about it. The girl who I had sex with moved away the year after, and I hadn't spoken to her since. Sasuke never bothered to ask her name. He also didn't seem surprised with my admission of lack of enthusiasm for sex. But thinking back to the way Sasuke's kiss felt…maybe he was more experienced than I thought? I glared at his back before shoving him hard off of my bed. He barely caught himself from falling, and sharply turned around to face my angered stare.

"I assume you had a reason for that." By now I had crawled over to the side of the bed, swinging my legs down and firmly planting my feet on the ground. If I needed to swing at him I wanted to have the proper footing before doing it.

"Have you had sex with someone or not?!"

"Why are you so concerned? It's not important-"

"Everything that involves you is important to me, especially if it's you having sex with someone else!" I knew I was being unreasonable, but I would worry about that in the morning. For now, my single goal was figuring out just who it was Sasuke slept with. Or was still sleeping with. No I didn't want to think about it in present tense. The little voice I had ignored so many times the past two weeks pointed out the unexplainable feelings throbbing in my chest as I stared up at the bastard in front of me. If he was feeling anything from my outburst he didn't show it. Slowly he walked toward me, disregarding any personal space when pushing his legs in-between my knees. My bed creaked when his hands dropped down onto it, encaging me in a sea of Sasuke. I refused to break eye-contact, knowing full well that my face was turning red. This was not the time to let myself get embarrassed!

"What does my sex life have to do with you?" His words were quiet, but I felt like they echoed in the room. Instantly it brought me back to the conversation we had on the phone. Or rather, the same question I asked him a half hour ago. And in truth, what right did I have to his private life? Sasuke was allowed his privacy, right? Even though it hurt me to think he would hide something so meaningful, it was his right. If I was the best friend I claimed to be, I would respect some of his boundaries. Though it felt like a knife piercing my heart, I looked away from him and spoke.

"Nothing," I mumbled. There was a pause before I felt the slight brush of fingertips along my jaw line. As soon as I felt it, the touch was gone and Sasuke was moving away from me. I didn't move until something was placed in my lap. I looked down at the present, amazed I had forgotten about it to begin with. This was the whole reason I asked him to come over, right? That's what I was telling myself at least.

"Don't get too excited." His dry tone made me roll my eyes, but I still refused to look at him. Instead, I gently tore at the paper and watched as the present revealed itself to me. The box was black, with a silver writing on the edge. It was in a different language, which only increased my suspicion of its price. He certainly had no problem when it came to spending money. I propped open the box, lifting the cover and blinking at what I saw. On what must have been real platinum silver rested a slender blue crystal. The cut left nothing to be envious of. I hesitated to touch it, mentally scolding myself for acting so astonished over a necklace. Especially one Sasuke gave me. Still, I couldn't stop myself from smiling when realizing how much thought Sasuke put into every present he gave me.

"You really have to show how wealthy you are, huh?" I mumbled, turning the crystal between my fingers. It gleamed in the dim light of my room, as if to prove it could match up to my bright personality.

"You don't have to accept it if you feel it's a contest." I shook my head at his suggestion, slipping the necklace over my head. The metal was cold on my skin, but fit perfectly around my neck. Right down to the measurements, the necklace was perfect. I looked back up at him, unsure of how to thank him after everything that transpired these past few weeks. He didn't bother to wait for my response, looking around the room for something. "Where am I sleeping tonight?"

"Oh, yeah. Uh…let me grab the inflatable mattress." I stumbled off the bed, moving over to my closet to yank the flimsy piece of plastic out. It took a few minutes, but I soon figured out how to work the bed and had it inflated within minutes. Sasuke stayed silent during my ordeal, staring out my window. Awkwardly I walked over to him, hesitantly placing my hand onto his shoulder. "It's done, if you want to sleep."

"Hn." He shrugged the touch off, a slightly colder side of Sasuke coming out. My hand fisted as it dropped to my side, mirroring the feeling of my clenched teeth. This guy was worst than a girl PMSing. I threw a pillow at the back of his head while crawling into my bed, knowing I was going to get nothing but attitude from him now.

"Goodnight bastard. Get ready for pancakes in the morning!" He scoffed at my excitement, but said nothing else while I shut off the lights. Exhaustion from everything that happened that day took over, and I found it easier than I thought to find sleep.

* * *

"Where the hell are you taking us?" I grinned in the rear view mirror at Sakura's annoyed face, enjoying keeping the intelligent girl out of the loop.

"Relax Sakura; it's not like he's going to kill us. Naruto asked me on the date, so it's only fair that he be the one to decide where we all go. If you didn't want to come, you didn't have to." Ino, who always seemed to have my back, was relaxed in the passenger seat of my car. She looked out the window as we passed by a huge lake me and Sasuke used to swim in during the summer.

"Naruto Uzumaki is the best date planner you're ever going to meet. The dinner place I picked out kicked ass, right?" I didn't need to hear confirmation to know the entire group (yes, even Sasuke) had enjoyed the restaurant I took them too. It was a modern place, where you choose from a line of assorted meats and side dishes and watched the chefs cook them on a huge round grill. You could make burgers and stir-fry; pastas and rice platters! It was interactive and fun, while still being able to satisfy the tongue. Did I mention it was a buffet as well? The girls had fallen in love with the entire idea of the place. Even Sasuke couldn't stay in the foul mood he had been in at the beginning of the date. A paradise in its own being. I was drooling just thinking about going back again.

"It really was really cheap too! How did you find that place anyways?" Ino asked. I stopped at a red light before glancing over to her and grinning.

"My parents took me there a couple months back. I ate so much the first time that my mom was scared they were going to bill us for two people." Ino laughed at my statement, placing her hand on my thigh.

"Well, maybe next time we do this we should go for their buffet breakfast." I nodded at her flirty wink, smirking.

"I have a policy I only eat breakfast with people who sleep over the night before. Sleepwear is optional." It was all harmless teasing, which both Ino and I knew. We had been doing it the entire night to keep any awkward silence from happening. Sakura normally would cause a fuss when we did it, sending the girls into a tiny fight. Though all of the action would be with Sakura and Ino, I couldn't help my gaze occasionally slipping over to Sasuke. He tried to remain stoic, but I knew that it bothered him by the way his hands tensed on his silverware. It left a warm feeling in my chest that I didn't try to understand.

"Good, I hate bringing an overnight bag."

"If you two are done, the light has turned green." The sharp tone in Sasuke's voice indicated that the conversation that just happened had struck a particular nerve in him. I looked back to the road and drove, rolling my eyes.

"Alright already; keep your panties on. Besides, our destination's right here." I turned into the huge parking lot, driving toward the tall building that hid the main part of our date. Though the building looked scary, I knew the place was extremely safe. I had been here more times than I could count with Kiba and Shikamaru, knowing the entire staff by name.

"_This _is where we're going on our date?" Sakura's displeasure was obvious as I parked the car, turning it off before looking back at her.

"Don't judge a book by its cover. Didn't you get that shit thrown at you as a kid?"

"This looks like the perfect place to kill someone." Obvious Sasuke didn't. I glared over at the bastard, my eye twitching at his smirk.

"I should have forbid Sakura to take you with us. Even Neji would be more bearable."

"Neji would have knocked you out long ago." Probably true. I heard the girls leave the car, most likely bored with our fighting already. Scowling at Sasuke, I leaned closer to his pale face to try and catch his gaze.

"What's your problem today? I plan out this awesome date and you're making it seem like I'm forcing you to sit through a love movie or go ballroom dancing. You should be thanking me!" Sasuke casually looked away, despite knowing I wanted eye contact. This guy was seriously trying to piss me off.

"I should thank you for dragging me into your stupid idea of fun?"

"Nobody said you had to go! All you had to do was say no to Sakura and that would have been the end of it."

"And if I had, would it have made you happy?" My eyebrows furrowed at his odd question. What the hell was this guy's problem?

"Shouldn't you be more worried about your date than me?" I saw a hint of a smirk on his face as he turned back to face me. I misjudged our proximity, and my breath caught when his nose barely brushed mine.

"I could ask you the same thing." I opened my mouth to argue, but slowly shut it when I realized he was right. Despite the fact that Ino was having a blast, I kept fighting with Sasuke about how he felt. It started with the music we listened to on the car ride, then what food he was trying first at dinner. I argued throughout the line with him about enjoying the experience, and yet again in the car ride. This whole night was supposed to be about forgetting any weird feelings I had for Sasuke at my party, and yet I couldn't stop talking to him. Or even looking at him for that matter!

"Why are you here?" I asked weakly, my eyes fighting to stay open. Really it was hard to do when feeling his warm breath against my lips.

"Do I bother you?" If I hadn't been listening so closely, I would have missed the teasing in his normally monotone voice. It was really…arousing. Feeling myself blush at the realization of what I just thought, I jerked my head back and swore when I hit it into the rear view mirror. He gave me a smug look that had me growl and quickly exit the car. Both girls looked up at me in confusion as I grabbed Ino's hand, yanking her toward the building.

"Wa-Wait a minute!" She was looking back at Sakura and Sasuke, but I had no intention of waiting for them. Not when distance from Sasuke was exactly what I needed. Ino had to almost jog to keep up with the pace I was using. "Naruto I said stop!"

"I can't stop!" I shouted, looking back at her. At the widening of her eyes, I realized my blush still hadn't gone away. I cursed and looked forwards again, only stopping when Ino finally planted her feet in the middle of the deserted hallway.

"Did something just happen with you and Sasuke?" Why was she always so god damn blunt? I fell back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling to try and avoid eye contact. I felt her lean next to me, her head gently resting on the side of my shoulder. "You know you can tell me. It's just you and me here."

"That bastard's got me all confused ever since the stupid superlative thing." Feeling embarrassed, I threw my free arm over my eyes to hide the rising of my blush. "One second he's the normal, stoic bastard. The next, he's kissing me senseless at my birthday party. He says one thing, and does another. We're best friends on Monday, enemies Tuesday, and who knows what Wednesday. As soon as I think I've got a bearing on what he's thinking, he pulls a 180 and sends me flying on my ass. I just don't get this whole thing!"

"Have you asked him?" Did she know who she was talking about? I banged my head back against the wall and groaned.

"Even if I tried, he'd avoid the question."

"Well, that's probably true. Sasuke doesn't seem to like conversation much."

"Don't have to tell me twice," I muttered, getting annoyed all over again. I blinked when I felt Ino's hand squeeze mine, making me remember we were still conjoined. I looked over to her as she smiled, keeping her head on my shoulder.

"Sasuke's a real handful, but so are you. I think that's why people kind of always just thought of you two as a couple. You're both always running around, getting involved in every activity known to the student population. And yet somehow, you two fit the other one into your life. Like it's natural. If I had to deal with your craziness every day, I'd lose my mind. But Sasuke handles it without breaking a sweat. It's always just been that easy for you two. This is a new experience for you two, but I think you guys will handle it just fine."

"You…sure have a lot of faith in us." More faith than I did, that was for sure. She shrugged her shoulders in a way that almost reminded me of Shikamaru.

"You two just need a push in the right direction, I suppose." I wanted to ask her what she meant, but I caught sight of pink hair entering the hallway. Looking up at Sakura and Sasuke, I gave a short wave and smiled.

"Hey! You finally caught up—OW!" I whined when Sakura slammed her purse onto my head.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Sasuke and I have never been here before; we had no clue where we were going. Next time you do something stupid like that, I'll kill you!" Sakura was seething as I hid behind Ino, who only laughed and started to pull me through the rest of the hallway.

"Let's just try to enjoy the rest of the night, okay? I think I actually know where we are." There was a turn at the end of the hallway, my fear easily being replaced by my excitement as we finally reached our destination. Though I knew Sakura was still mad, it was pushed to the side when her eyes lit up at the brightly colored space in front of us.

"It's an arcade," She whispered, seeming surprised by the amount of people.

"That's not the best part. Normally you just hang out here while you wait to do that." I pointed to a sign in the corner that was lit up with black-lights. "Have you ever played Laser tag, Sakura?"

"Naruto, you're amazing!" I laughed when Ino jumped on me, seeming just as pumped as I was to play. Really, I should be a date planner for a living. The four of us walked toward the register, easily getting signed up for the next game. Since there was already a game in progress, we decided to spend some of our time in the arcade area. Sakura and Ino were instantly drawn to the DDR game, while I challenged Sasuke to an air hockey battle. He scoffed at my enthusiasm but agreed to 'appease the idiot'. Occasionally our hands would brush when reaching for the puck, and I could feel myself quickly pull away from the warm sensation. He never brought it up, but I knew he noticed. After Sasuke cheated his way to a win (there was no way he'd actually beat me!), Ino dragged me to the rock climbing wall for a race. I laughed when she got stuck at the top, too afraid to propel down on her own. Playing the hero I knew I had been in a past life, I hoisted the girl to my side and made my way down easily. Her arms tightened on my neck when I took an extra long jump to the floor, which made teasing her so much sweeter. It was only when I got out of the harness that I noticed Sasuke's dark gaze focused on us. It momentarily froze me, but Ino brought me back by shaking my arm.

"Our laser tag round just got called." I nodded and let her pull me toward Sakura, Sasuke quietly following behind us.

"I'll try to go easy on you guys," I said cockily, easily strapping myself into the vest. From the look of the room, there were at least ten other people playing. Ino looked over to me as she helped Sakura adjust the waist of the vest, laughing.

"Well what if I said I thought I could beat you?"

"I'd bet you that I'd win of course!" Ino seemed to mull over my statement before taking a step closer to me, holding her hand out.

"Then let's make a bet." I saw Sasuke's head lift at her suggestion, finding interest in Ino's words for the first time all night.

"Sure! I love a challenge."

"If I win, you will pay for me and Sakura's ticket for the Student Council's ice cream social next Friday." I had almost forgotten about that! It was one of the bigger events of the year, since it was hosted by the student council. I had to go anyways since I was a part of the council, so I easily shook her hand, nodding.

"That's fine, since I'm not going to lose. What do I get if I win?" Ino smiled cheerfully at me, her hand squeezing mine as she spoke.

"If you beat me, I'll let you kiss me." …Huh? My mouth dropped open at Ino's suggestion. Was she seriously suggesting we kiss? Instinctively I looked to Sasuke, who was staring at Ino silently. There was no reaction on his face like I had expected. Didn't he get what she was saying? I looked back to Ino slowly, hesitating before I smiled.

"Alright, I'll take your bet. Just try not to faint afterwards." She rolled her eyes at my confidence, dropping our hands before she shoved me toward the opening door. "H-Hey! What are you doing?"

"Just giving you a little push. You'll thank me later." She said it casually, despite the mischievous look in her eyes. What was _that _all about? I frowned as Ino grabbed Sakura's hand, dragging her into the darkened room. I chased after them quickly, not sure what game Ino was playing. Didn't she just tell me an hour ago she could never handle being with me like that? So why the hell did she want to kiss me? Girls were just as confusing as Sasukes!

The round was intense, and I found myself forgetting about everything but the need to win the game. It really wasn't for the prize Ino gave me so much as for bragging rights. Adding to the fact that I would redeem myself from my previous air hockey loss fueled me to run through the course like a soldier at war. People's vest were lighting up as I passed, signaling that this game was mine to win. Sniping out two guys in a corner, I rolled on the floor and crawled through a tunnel on the ground. Mission impossible ran through my head, and I held the gun near my face as I slinked around a corner. Without warning fog billowed in my face, leaving me momentarily blind. Damn, that stuff burned my eyes. I closed them to try and erase the feeling and passed into another part of the course I knew most people wouldn't know of. Kiba and I had discovered it on accident one time, Shikamaru later explaining it was one of the few spots created by the designer for seasonal players to seek out. It was our secret resting place when we needed to regroup. With the newbies I was playing with, there was no way they'd find me here. I dropped the gun to my side as I tried rubbing my eyes. I would seriously have to talk with one of the employees about the bad positioning of that fog.

I opened my eyes quickly when I felt hands pinning my wrists to the wall behind me. I didn't have much time to look before lips were pressed onto mine, a hard body forcing mine to press back against the wall. I instantly knew the taste of this mouth, which made me struggle against the hold on my wrists. Just what the hell was he thinking?! My eyes closed tightly when his thigh brushed in-between my own, making me moan into his mouth. The kiss intensified at my noise, as well as the motion of his thigh. By now my hands were desperate to break free, but not for the same reason as before. As if reading my mind, Sasuke let go of my hands in order to shove his hands under my shirt. When the vest got in his way, I felt a weak growl against my mouth before his fingers hastily undid it. My hands now grasped his face, pulling him deeper into the kiss while grinding into his leg. Whether it was the atmosphere of the smoke and darkness of the room, or just the fact that Sasuke had snapped, I wasn't going to let my brain catch up long enough to question the pleasurable feeling he was invoking in me.

I heard the vest drop to the ground two seconds before his mouth locked onto my neck. I cried out in surprise, not able to see a damn thing he was doing. Fingers slid up my stomach, and I felt the air leave my lungs when his tongue swept a hot line of saliva over my pulse. My hands clutched his shoulders, unsure if I should push him off or pull him closer. Everything was just happening really fast. My body was stiff at his touches, my arousal clearly hard against his evil thigh. I wasn't sure how far Sasuke was planning on taking this before I felt a yank of my pants, easily loosening them up enough for him to slip his slender fingers around my cock. I bit my lip hard to stop myself from shouting, which shocked me. How did this feel so _good_? When I masturbated, I could always get myself off. I figured it was because I knew my body and it was natural to be good at something you know so well. When I had tried to have anyone else get me worked up, I had felt…okay. It was pleasant, but nothing to curl my toes about.

But now, I had to bit my knuckles to keep from moaning too loudly. Sasuke had only been stroking me with his hands and I felt myself coming apart at the seams. His mouth was like fire when he forced it back to my own, kissing me expertly. I expected nothing less from . Our tongues were locked in battle, even as my hips rolled into his teasing fingers. I groaned when his thumb swiped along my tip, sending me dangerously close to the edge. Really, it was embarrassing how quickly he got me worked up. My breathing was heavy in his mouth, my entire body trembling at ever flick of his wrists. Was this what the guys talked about? The pleasure was addicting, and I gasped when my orgasm started to coil in the pit of my stomach. I just needed one more push…

His hand stilled instantly, making me slam my head back against the wall and curse. My entire body shuttered at the loss of the feeling, my heavy panting filling the air. My hips jerked up slightly, brushing against the palm of his hand and making me kiss. I hadn't been this hard in my life. Even when I actually had sex, my body wasn't this wound up. How was Sasuke able to get this type of reaction from me with just one hand? Gritting my teeth to endure the sexual pain, I looked over to Sasuke in anger.

"W-what the f-fuck?" I said, not really sure what I was questioning. The rational part wanted to know why his hand was in my pants in the middle of a public area. The sexual part wanted to know why he wasn't going to let me cum. Neither answer was given as he stared down at me, his fingers barely twitching against my oversensitive flesh. I shut my eyes and moaned, my hips trying to get his hand to move on me again. This was just torture. When the fingers started rocking against me again, my entire body jolted forward. I felt like my knees were going to buckle when he stopped soon after, his thumb barely swiping over the head of my cock. Being burned alive sounded better than where I was right now. I stared up at the ceiling, not noticing the movement of Sasuke's body as I barely whimpered. "G-God, please…"

A hot mouth around the tip of my arousal was all I needed to go flying over the edge. My head again met the wall behind me as my hips thrust into Sasuke's mouth, my entire body tensing. I couldn't believe how amazing it felt, but I never wanted it to end. My body was in pure heaven, even as my head screamed for me to fall back into reality. Yup, I was hooked. I slowly slid down the wall, my hands cradling the head between my legs. My chest was in pain from how heavy I was breathing. Sasuke slowly pulled back from me, staying silent even as he wiped the reminisce of my cum from his lower lip. The image alone made my body jerk again, though I was pretty sure I couldn't move at the moment. I wondered why he had let me finish in his mouth, only to realize a handjob was messy. I couldn't remember the amount of time I had to change my sheets after an extremely good session. Sasuke, even in moments like this, kept his cool. Effortlessly he sat up straight, adjusting the vest I had been pulling at earlier.

"Warning; Two minutes left." The computerized voice over the intercom was loud in my ears, but I didn't react as I continued to stare at Sasuke. He didn't seem like he was going to try to explain his actions, or ever speak for that matter. Yanking my pants back up my waist, I slapped the vest back on and tried to look as I had before I went into the game. But how does a guy do that when his male best friend just willingly gave him a handjob?

"What was that?" I finally asked. Sasuke's gaze didn't waver as he moved forward, pressing his forehead to mine.

"The next time you think about betting to kiss someone other than me, make sure I'm not around." Within a second he was on his feet, walking back into the fray of laser tag. My entire face was flushed as I placed my hand over my heart, trying to stop the rapid beating. And not the good type of heart racing, either. The 'holy shit Sasuke Uchiha wants to kill me' kind. Sasuke had never sounded that _mad _in our entire friendship. The fire that had been in his eyes had almost been painful to look at. Had my bet with Ino really pissed him off? Jealousy was fine; I didn't have a problem with teasing the guy every now and then. Any time him and Sakura hung out, I felt jealous. But I never wanted to actually hurt him.

I winced when the lights came on, signaling that the game was over. Checking to make sure I hadn't forgotten to zip my pants, I slowly made my way out of the course to meet up with the other three. Ino and Sakura were waiting for the scores to show up on the screen while Sasuke leaned against the wall. Not sure if I should approach him, I hesitantly walked over to the girls. The instant I stepped next to Ino, the scores popped up.

"Oh my god! I beat you!" Ino shouted, jumping up and down as Sakura laughed. I looked up at well, seeing that Ino had only beaten me by three points. If I had stayed in the game any longer…

I looked over to Sasuke, who seemed indifferent about the results. Even though I wasn't going to kiss Ino, he knew it had almost happened. There was still that option that it could happen again, if I let it. Balling my hands into fists, I walked away from the girls and didn't notice the small smile that came to Ino's face. Convincing myself it had to be done, I took my stand in front of Sasuke. He barely glanced over at me, but then fully brought his attention my way when seeing the fierce blush on my face.

"If it means that much to you, I'll never bet that again. I don't…really want to kiss anyone else anyways. So don't stay mad at me for long, bastard." It was hard to keep eye contact with such an embarrassing subject. Especially since it was Sasuke I was talking to. He stayed silent at my admission, and after nearly a minute I was about ready to punch him. Finally, Sasuke smirked in a way that made me see red. "Wh-What are you making tha-that face for?!"

"Naruto, Sasuke! Come take a picture with us!" Sakura shouted from across the room. I looked back at her, sending her a wave to know I heard her. When I felt a warm breath near my ear, I shivered and instantly dropped my raised hand.

"We should do that again sometime." It was all he said before he walked away, leaving me speechless.

From the tone of his voice, he was definitely_ not_ talking about Laser Tag.

**AH! I can't believe I finally finished this! You don't know how hard it was to keep my mind on track. -.- So anyways, was it worth the wait? Wasn't Ino amazing? What will happen now with Sasuke and Naruto's sexual relationship? What problems will the ice cream social bring? And how else can I sneak the mischievous Kakashi into this plot? So many more ways, I'm sure. Find out next time! **


	5. Manic Mondays and Fudged up Fridays

**Hey everyone! I'm back with another installment of SBAW! I hope that you guys are enjoying the story, because I think it's got two more chapters until it's done. Lets see what our little friend Naruto gets into this time, shall we?**

**Disclamier: I do not not not NOT own Naruto!**

**Warning: This is malexmale, and will have lemons in the future. You are warned.**

**Chapter Five: Manic Mondays and Fudged-up Fridays**

Never before had I ever thought of myself as weak. My personality was a burst of energy that never shied away from any challenge it was given. If I was asked to do something, I did it ten times better than anyone expected. When Sakura or Ino needed advice, I didn't hold back in fear of hurting them. After all, wouldn't hiding the truth just make it harder in the end? At class meetings I told Neji how it was, and didn't care what he thought of it. Naruto Uzumaki was a leader. Naruto Uzumaki was a warrior.

Naruto Uzumaki was a coward.

Even though I had openly admitted to my best friend that I only wanted to kiss him (along with other, more inappropriate stuff), I had been unable to face him since. The entire weekend I spent locked in my room, ignoring every text and phone call I got. Especially from Sasuke. My face would turn beat red the second I saw his name on my phone. I knew, even as I slammed the ignore button several times, that I would have to face him eventually. We had class together, as well as soccer. Plus our superlative picture was bound to come up. There was really no way to avoid him there.

Monday morning came, and I woke up hours before my alarm. Knowing I wouldn't be able to get to sleep again, I rolled out of bed and shrugged on some jogging clothes. Maybe a good run would help me clear my mind. Nothing else had yet, and Lee would always spew how 'exercise cleansed the soul'. I scoffed, wondering if it could run enough to 'purify' the image of Sasuke's mouth of my dick away. Shivering at my own dirty thought, I smacked my cheeks and tied my shoes twice as tight. I went downstairs to look for my parents, only to realize they were both still asleep. Peeking my head in their room, my smile grew at the way my mother's arm rested over my father's face. Yup, my parents were not the spooning type. Snickering, I left them a note on the refrigerator and ran out the door, blasting the fast paced music. White puffs of air left my mouth as I continued to run, ignoring the cold biting at my skin. The sky was still pretty dark, and there was nobody on the road. As I jogged closer to the center of town, I wondered if I was the only one awake. I shook my head, remembering that Sasuke would be up. He had always been an early bird. I could only assume it was because his parents were never home, so he had to make his own breakfast. Even when he slept over, he always got up before I did. Then he would tease me about sleeping in too—

"Gah." Damnit, there I went again. I took a sharp left, trying to leave the previous thought process behind. Why did my mind always go back to him? As far back as I could remember, Sasuke had always been on my mind. Whether it was something stupid he said, or a memory from our childhood, Sasuke's face crept along most of my mornings without my realization. That didn't really bother me before, since he was my best friend. It was normal to think of the people that you really care about. But now that he was…

I slowed my pace a bit, my breath coming out in shorter puffs. Just what the heck was Sasuke to me now? Way more than just a friend, I knew that. But thinking of him as my boyfriend was a little too uncomfortable. One hand-job in a dingy room doesn't automatically mean you're in a relationship. If that was true, clubs would be considered match-making heaven. Still, Sasuke and I couldn't really be called a one night stand either. I mean, I didn't _want _to be that. And knowing him as well as I did, Sasuke didn't just fool around with anybody. Actually, if what I thought about Sasuke was true, then I was the first one he had ever touched in a sexual way. We weren't girls, but it was still important. So that meant we were definitely something…which I already knew.

While my mind was going in circles, my body decided to go into auto-pilot.

"…How did I end up at Sasuke's?" I stared up at the large house, my panting showing how far I had run. My legs ached from how long I went; pushing me more than any soccer game I had been through. Even in a car, Sasuke's house was a good ways away. Looking around quickly, I let out a breath of relief when realizing nobody had seen me show up at the house. Good, I could make a clean get away and Sasuke would never know I showed up on his doorstep. I turned to leave, ignoring my aching legs and lungs, but stopped when I felt my stomach cramp. Looking down, I groaned when I came to the realization that I seriously had to eat. After running that long on an empty stomach, I knew I wouldn't make it back home without some serious pain. I would have stopped and just grabbed something at a convenience store, but I didn't bring any money with me. I didn't even have my cell phone, so calling my parents to pick me up was out of the question.

That left me with one option.

"What are you doing here?" I scoffed at Sasuke before pushing in his house, passing the flutter in my stomach off as hunger. I heard him shut the door behind me, and I shrugged my shoes off before I continued.

"I was running and I ran out of fuel."

"Am I supposed to care?" My eye twitched at the response, wondering why my head was a jumbled mess over such an asshole. I turned to him, jumping slightly when realizing how close he had gotten. Instantly I got defensive, putting my hands over my crotch and taking a few steps back. He remained where he was, arching an eyebrow at my humiliated glare. "What are you doing?"

"I-I don't want you getting the wrong idea here! I just need something to eat and I'll be on my way."

"The wrong idea," he said dully, as if he hadn't attacked me days before. Feeling my embarrassment grow, I nodded and tightened my hold. He then shook his head, looking away from me. "Who would want to do things with a smelly fool like yourself?"

"I don't smell!" After I defended myself, I hesitantly lifted my arm and sniffed. Okay, so I did smell, but it was a manly sweat that I was proud of. I jerked the appendage back down when Sasuke started to walk toward me, smacking the palm of his hand into my forehead. "Ow!"

"Go take a shower; you still have some clothes in my dresser. Breakfast will be ready soon, so don't take forever or it will get cold." His hand rested on my head, and the tenseness I had built up in my shoulders slowly disappeared. I lowered my gaze, feeling my cheeks flush. This kind of felt like we were dating. I swallowed weakly, nodding into the palm of his hand.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." He didn't answer, breaking off the touch and heading into his kitchen. I turned my head to watch him, admitting to myself that the grey t-shirt really looked good on him. Sasuke always dressed to impress, which was probably why so many girls in the school liked him. Hell, wearing black jeans that cupped his ass like that would drive any girl mad. I paused at the thought, shaking my head quickly and running up toward his shower. Shit, did I really just think about Sasuke's ass? Thanking God that mind-reading were still impossible, even to Uchihas, I quickly grabbed my clothes from his room and took a shower. I scrubbed my hair, and then glanced to the axe body wash that Sasuke used. The scent in the steamy air made me go back to our first kiss. Had it really only been a week? I touched my lower lip, wondering why it felt so much longer.

Then again, we had always been a little off. According to the student population, at least. I leaned against the back of the shower, wondering just what it was about us that made us stand out. Chouji and Shikamaru had been best friends just as long as us. Nobody ever thought of them as a couple, and neither one of them had ever had a steady girlfriend before. Hell, I wasn't sure Chouji even kissed a girl before! Then again, neither did Sasuke. Or, did he? I furrowed my brows, shutting off the shower to dry off. Last time I asked him, he had implied it wasn't my concern. Now, with the events of Friday, did that change? If I asked this time, would I be entitled to a real answer? And did I even really want to know?

"Of course I do! What if he's kissed more girls than me?" Okay, so my reasoning was really stupid. But, it made it easier to accept my curiosity. I yanked my foot through my second pant leg as I moved into the kitchen, not bothering to button my jeans. I hung the towel from my neck, letting my hair drip onto it while I looked at Sasuke. Seeming like a natural, the stoic boy expertly created some sort of omelette. Grinning, I moved behind him and rested my head on his shoulder. "Who knew you'd actually use what we learned in cooking class?"

"Cooking is an essential part of life; hence why I've taken so many cooking classes with you." His voice was quiet, but I could feel his words vibrating from where my chin resided. I tried to nod, but remembered my position and stopped.

"But mine never comes out looking so good." He snorted, and I had to pull away when he turned to plate the breakfast for us. He cut the steaming dish into two halves, and then added freshly cut fruit and bacon to each plate. My nose almost died and went to heaven at the delicious smell, knowing the food would taste just as good.

"I tend to have a more delicate approach than your smashing and pounding of ingredients." I scowled at the response, hating to admit he was sort of right. I had been the one who always had a passion for cooking, but sometimes went a little crazy in the kitchen. If the place was still intact after my attempt at making a meal, it was a good day. Sure my food tasted fine, but it wasn't neat or probably the correct procedure to cook it. Sasuke could have been on the food channel with his presentation.

"I guess you're the better cook. But I still kick your ass in soccer."

"Is everything a competition for you?" I followed him to the table, mumbling a quiet 'thank you' when he placed my plate in front of me. I waited until he was seated to think about his question. I didn't really mean to compete with him. It just kind of came naturally, since we were always doing the same stuff. I just liked being better than him. When I really took time to think about it, it was more of a need to win. Like somehow, by showing him I was better, that I deserved to hang around him. Sasuke was great in so many things that it was hard not to be envious. By having my own skills that outshone his, it made me feel equal to him.

"Just the stuff that matters," I answered, shoving a mouthful of food in my mouth. Instantly I moaned, knowing that this wouldn't be the last time I came here for breakfast.

"In your world at least."

"Hey! Soccer is important to many people. Look at Ireland, people die every year over there over soccer games!"

"You think it's reasonable to die over something as pointless as a sport?" I shook my head, chewing the bacon in my mouth before answering.

"I'm just saying that some people may think things you considered stupid as important." He shook his head before sipping on his drink, my nose scrunching when I realized what it was. "You're drinking tea?"

"Yes, I do every morning. Did you want some?" I popped a strawberry into my mouth, enjoying how fresh it was. Leave it to the Uchiha's to have nothing but the best.

"No way."

"Why not?" He asked, leaning his elbows on the table and cupping the mug in both hands. The relaxed position was something I rarely saw with Sasuke, always carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Was it the tea's doing? I glared at the cup, not liking the feeling of jealousy I had over an inanimate object.

"That stuff is gross!"

"Have you ever had tea?" His question brought up a good point. No, I had never had tea. But I refused to admit my real reason for detesting the beverage was because it was something Sakura and Sasuke enjoyed together. I looked back down at my plate, taking another bite from my breakfast. Instantly the taste calmed me, and I switched the subject.

"You need to cook for me more often." He didn't seem to like my evasion, but he didn't voice his objection. Instead he focused back down on his food.

"What am I, your maid?"

"No, idiot, you're my—" I stopped, bringing silence to the kitchen. He paused in cutting his food, glancing up at me curiously. I blushed, but was left speechless. Crap, what was I supposed to say now? The very same process that brought me here was now out in the open, and I never did come up with an answer for it. Sasuke patiently waited for me to answer, but nothing was coming to my head. Food sounded like a good substitute for words, so I started to shovel my breakfast into my mouth. He didn't seem pleased with my lack of response, and I yelped when he grabbed my wrist and slammed it onto the table.

"Finish your sentence." Well, so much for that plan. I glared over at him and tried to yank my wrist away.

"There's nothing else to say, now let go of me!"

"'What I am to you' was the question you were answering." He said it so bluntly, that I couldn't stop my eyes from closing or my mouth from moving on its own.

"If I knew the answer don't you think I would have told you already?!" I heard his chair screech against the floor, and I knew he was coming toward me. I threw my other arm up, but he quickly grabbed it and pulled me forwards. With my eyes closed, I wasn't prepared for the assault against my mouth. Eyes that were shut tightened as I tried to struggle from his hold, my body shivering as his tongue traced along my lower lip. Why did every kiss have to start like this? Didn't this show him how messed up we were? A couple wouldn't have to force kisses like this. They could hold each other and not have to use violence to get there. But then, we weren't a couple.

Feeling every unknown emotion boil up in my throat, I bite hard on his lip and gasped for air when he yanked back from me. The surprise of my attack made him drop my wrists, and I quickly bolted from the chair. I weaved through the house, desperate to get away from him. This was just happening too fast. My breath was caught in my throat, beating like a drum as I ran through the huge house. Where the hell was the damn exit?! I had been in this house more times than I could count, and probably knew the floor plan with my eyes closed. Suddenly, my brain had amnesia and I couldn't even remember which hallway led to the front door.

The confusion and fear of unknown feelings made me turn in the hallway too fast. My shoulder rammed straight into the corner of the wall, and I swore loudly in pain. Crumpling to the floor, I grasped the injured shoulder and hissed at the ache that shot through it. Tears sprung to my eyes as pain assaulted my body.

"Shit," I whimpered, pushing with my good arm to lean against the hallway wall. The pain was throbbing through my body, and my breathing was shaky as I stared up at the ceiling. Was this why so many people hated Mondays? Cause it was seriously starting to be my least favorite day of the week.

"Leave it to you to hurt yourself doing nothing." Pain made it hard to look over at the voice, but I still managed a glare when seeing Sasuke's smug face.

"Shu-Shut up," I mumbled, wishing that the throbbing would stop. I had hit the wall as fast as I could, and it had left me a little dazed. If not for the feeling that I would probably throw up if I stood, I would have jumped out the window at the end of the hall. Sasuke's shadow loomed over me, but I refused to look up at him. My stare stayed on the floor, watching his knees rest on either side of my leg closest to my injury. If this was any other person in any other situation, I may have thought of it as intimate. But since it was the bastard, I tried to pretend it didn't affect me. My hand smacked his when he yanked my shirt up, but he ignored it and lifted the coverage off the injured shoulder.

"Doesn't look like you broke anything." I looked at the skin, relieved to see no real damage. If I had dislocated it, I could say goodbye to the rest of my soccer season. His fingers skimmed the tender area, and I flinched. "But you probably won't be able to play for a couple days."

"I'll be fine."

"No, you need to ice it and rest. Otherwise you'll strain the recovering muscles."

"I don't need a lecture, mom." My chin was instantly seized and forced to look up at Sasuke, who didn't seem to be in the mood for my sarcasm. We locked gazes, and I knew that I wasn't going to win this fight with him. Whatever he was going to say next was law, no matter what I thought.

"Go to my room and lay down; I'll inform the school of your absence and bring you an ice pack."

"I'm not missing school because of some stupid accident that you caused!" But that didn't mean I was going to give up without trying.

"Do I need to carry you there like a child?" I shrugged away from his touch and then hissed as the tender muscles screamed at my action.

"You're not my babysitter." His eyes flashed with something unreadable, but left me feeling like he had sucker punched me in the stomach.

"I'm not anything to you apparently." It was said so coldly, I almost had to brush off the ice that was left from his breath. What was with that catty response? He stood before I could ask, yanking his phone from his too-perfect jeans. "I'll inform your mother as well."

"This is stupid." But even as I complained, I pushed myself up to do as he asked. Moving down the hallway and into his room, I paused in the doorway to look back at him. The phone was glued to his ear, talking to the school or my mom. He had his serious face on, one that I had seen too many times. Still, I leaned my forehead against the doorway when I realized there was something else in his face. He almost looked…tired. Maybe stressed? Probably from me either way. I winced at the realization that I tended to cause more trouble for him than anyone else. But it wasn't my fault entirely! And he made me have sleepless nights too. Maybe not as many as I did for him but…

Trying to shake the remorse, I moved into his room and carefully crawled onto his bed. The sheets were silk, which made me roll my eyes. Nothing but the best for an Uchiha. Easing my shoulder to rest against a stack of pillows, I looked around the bleak room in annoyance. How many times had I told him to do something fun with the open space? The only thing that would catch someone's interest was the guitar in the corner. Girls loved guitars, which was why I used to beg Sasuke to teach me. He always refused, deeming I was too impatient to learn an instrument. That was probably true, since I used to play the trumpet in the fifth grade. Well, until I threw it out the band window and stormed out of the room. After that, I tried to stay away from any music department.

When I looked to his nightstand, I noticed something else interesting. I was too far away to reach it (seriously, the king size bed was swallowing me whole), but I had a clear view of the picture. Sasuke didn't seem the type of keep sentimental stuff, but then again he didn't seem the type to molest me in a public place either. Damn, I really needed to stop thinking about that!

Focusing again, I smiled at the picture on his nightstand. It was of Sasuke and I in the seventh grade, standing in front of a science project we had completed together. We had gotten second place out of the entire school, and his mother had snapped a picture of the two of us holding the red ribbon. My smile was as big as it always had been, while Sasuke merely looked at the camera and smirked. Still, the picture made me think back on how our friendship used to be. Sasuke and I hadn't always fought. There were lots of good memories I had with him before we entered high school. He didn't just become my best friend for no reason. It took years, and I remember smiling with him through most of it.

Now it was just…different. I wanted to know why. How come we weren't able to just talk as friends anymore? Part of me wanted to blame it on the superlative, but it was way before that. Our fighting was okay sometimes, especially if it was about something we both believed in. But sometimes we just bickered over pointless shit. I thought about the fight in the hallway, guilt once again hitting me. Even if he had a crappy way of showing it, Sasuke was just trying to take care of me. The bruise on my shoulder was getting pretty serious, and it was probably better to stay home and rest. If I had seen Kiba or Ino get hit like that, I'd probably do the same thing. Ice and rest were the best things for this type of injury; I knew that. Just like I knew I was taking my frustration from my confusion out on Sasuke.

"This whole thing is fucked up," I mumbled, rubbing my face with my good hand. "But how do I fix it?"

"Fix what?" I looked over at Sasuke, who held out an ice pack with a hand towel wrapped around it. I took the offering, hiking my shirt over my shoulder again. I placed it to my injured skin, shivering at the cold.

"What did my mom say?"

"That you are an idiot for running into a wall." Sympathy, thy name is mother. I almost laughed at the response, knowing that he wasn't paraphrasing either. "She said she wants you to call her later to make sure you're okay."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this from my dad," I said, leaning my head against the pillows and sighing. He shrugged, moving to sit in his computer chair across the room. When I noticed him starting to log in, I blinked. "What are you doing?"

"Since your mother asked me to stay with you, I've decided to work on something from home." Damn that woman. She really thought I was incapable to taking care of myself? Then again, I did just run into a wall. That may make most people question my abilities.

"You didn't have to do that, you know." He didn't look my way, or even acknowledge that I was trying to have a conversation with him. It bugged me, but I wasn't going to press it.

"Trust me; I understand I have no responsibilities when it comes to you." He was really upset with me, wasn't he? He must have been if he continued to shove that into my face. I looked out the window, not sure what he wanted. There was silence in the room for a few seconds before Sasuke spoke again. "My father has asked me which school I intend on going to for college."

"He did?" Sasuke curtly nodded, continuing to focus on his computer screen.

"He mentioned that there were schools all over interested in my skill."

"Wait…you mean like out of the state or something?" I asked, my heart stopping when he nodded again. I wanted to move to stand, but he gave me a warning look when I leaned toward the edge of the bed. Well, at least I had some of his attention now. "Did you tell him you were staying around here?"

"Not yet."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Why should I limit myself to this area?"

"Do you realize how far away that could be? You could be several time zones away from home!" He shrugged, seeming much too calm to be talking about something so big. It was either the sign that he wasn't taking the offer seriously, or the idea that he really _didn't _see it as a huge deal.

"Itachi did it without a problem. It leaves the expectation that I should be able to as well." While I knew Sasuke wanted to outdo his brother, it didn't settle the uneasy feeling I had with him moving.

"What's wrong with the schools here?"

"Nothing."

"So then why leave?" We stared at each other, the same unreadable look shining in Sasuke's eyes from the hallway.

"Maybe I need to." Need to? Wanting to leave was one thing, but _needing _to? That implied that something here was keeping him back.

"What are you, running away? The Sasuke I know wouldn't hide from a fight." He scowled at that, making me smirk slightly. I liked that look much better than the careless one he had before.

"I'm not hiding."

"Sounds like it to me." He rose from his seat, and I continued to smirk as he moved to lean over the bed. Despite my heartbeat increasing and the shortness of my breath from his proximity, I was happy to see the fire light back in his eyes. This was the Sasuke I liked.

"I'm not running away." His voice was lower now, and it almost had a husky tone to it. His eyes never wavered from mine, as if to make sure I heard his words perfectly. "I'm just deciding if staying here has any benefits for my future."

"…For your career?" I asked, suddenly reading the atmosphere differently. Having his hands boxing me in while his face was so close to mine was not an intimidation method. Without permission my good arm lifted my hand to his chest, but didn't push him away. In fact, it fisted into the gray shirt that seriously did his body more good than I first thought.

"Partly." What a half-assed answer. I frowned at him, not liking how unaffected he seemed to be by our intimacy. As it was, I could feel the heat swelling in my cheeks and the strength of my voice fading.

"What else are you thinking about?" This was too dangerous. I knew that as soon as I opened my mouth. The same question that had been haunting me seemed to follow Sasuke around too. The difference between us was Sasuke was willing to explore his options, while I could barely understand the options that we had. He continued to stare at me, and I nervously yanked on his shirt. "People would miss you here."

"They'll learn to forget me."

"What about your parents?"

"They would prefer I stay close, but won't interfere with my choice of school. All they ask for is the best I can be."

"But Sakura won't be okay with you leaving!"

"We've already talked about it; she wouldn't have a problem keeping in touch through the internet. She prefers face-to-face conversation, but she wishes me the best with whatever decision I make." Wait, he talked to her first? Blowing out a puff of air through my nose, I narrowed my eyes at him in anger.

"When did you talk to her about this?"

"We've had a few conversations the past month." A month? He's been thinking about this for a month and never bothered to clue me in? That hurt a hell of a lot more than I thought it would, but I covered it with my pissed off tone.

"Well then I guess you have it all set up then. Go to wherever the hell you want, I don't care!" Shoving on his chest, I felt frustration when he didn't budge. My dominant hand was immobile, and I already had a hard time fighting with Sasuke when I was at full health. Not to mention my hand wouldn't let go of his shirt.

"Stop overreacting, idiot." He knocked his knuckles on my forehead, getting my attention back from my anger.

"Overreacting?! What the hell are you doing telling everyone else about your plan to leave but me? Was it some sort of joke to just keep me in the dark while you make a life decision that could change us forever? I don't think I'm overreacting, Sasuke!"

"Change us?"

"Yes!"

"Change us from _what_?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Do you always have to speak in riddles?" I asked, getting more frustrated by the fierce look he was sending me. How was he going to get angry when he just dropped a bombshell on me? I wanted to smack him, but refrained myself when remembering what he had done for me earlier.

"You idiot." I went to protest, but stopped when his forehead knocked into mine. I hissed and closed one eye, using the other to glare at him.

"That hurt, you know. Good thing you're not my nurse or I'd fire you."

"Hn." Something I said didn't sit well with him, because I felt his hands bunch in the sheets next to my leg. "I'm not your nurse. I'm not your babysitter; I'm not your maid. You tell me everything I'm not; do you wish to tell me what I am?"

"You're…" I swallowed, knowing I wasn't getting away this time. If I tried, I'd probably end up breaking my hip somehow. His eyes were set on me, never wavering despite the blunt question he just asked me. Then again, I had just asked for him to stop speaking in riddles, right? My eyes slowly lowered to the front of the bed, not able to meet the strong gaze in front of me. Maybe it was because of the injury, but I was feeling much weaker than normal in my fight against Sasuke. "You're…"

"Naruto." He said my name sternly, and I knew the house would catch on fire before he would move off of his bed. The time to figure this out was now. It just wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. As soon as my mind would settle on a decision, my heart would change its mind. Then my heart would be happy, and my head would throw something out that would de-rail my thought process. I took a slow breath, pressing my hand closer to his chest.

But all thought process stopped when I felt a frantic heartbeat under my fingertips. Looking up, Sasuke's face was a stoic as ever. His body wasn't trembling, and his face hardly had any color in it at all. His lips were drawn in a straight line, his eyes barely giving notice to his anger. But here, under my hand, was the overzealous pounding of his heart. What did that mean? Was he just as confused and wound up about our predicament as I was? Sasuke had never been a big guy on showing things, I knew that. I never would have guessed that he had feelings for me except for his random kisses and body groping. If we hadn't been nominated for what we were, would I have ever known his feelings?

Even now, I wasn't completely sure just where his thoughts were. But he wasn't asking me that. He wanted to know what was going on in my heart.

"We can't really go back to being just friends. We li-like each other. And you've shoved your hands in my pants and my tongues been in your throat. So I guess that option of 'friends' is out the window," I muttered, saying whatever my heart thought of. "But it's not exactly to the point of going off and living happily ever after. You're still a guy, and I'm not planning on being a girl any time soon. A relationship still kind of sounds…weird for me. Girls have kind of been my things since I was born. So the fact that I'm kind of…look, I don't have anything against gay people; I just never thought I'd be in this kind of situation. Especially with you."

"You weren't my first pick either." Well, I guess that was a relief. It bothered me a bit, but soothed me as well. Sasuke hadn't been planning on finding me attractive, just like I hadn't planned on ever knowing what his hands felt like under my shirt. But who was his first pick then?

"Since you've got _no _experience with dating, I guess I'm going to have to try and steer this boat to some sort of port." He arched his eyebrow before letting out a small snort.

"That was a horrible comparison."

"I'm going to kill you!"

"What do you suggest first…_Captain?_" I could hear the smug tone in his voice, and for one second I thought of strangling him. Really, the pain in my shoulder would be so worth it. Instead, I looked away from him and tried to answer his question.

"We should probably go on a date."

"We already have."

"I meant with each other!" I snapped, getting annoyed with how calm he seemed to be. I felt my face burning when he leaned in, his lips brushing mine.

"You mean…you want me to ask you to dinner." He said it like a fact, and I had to force myself to glare at him. I wanted to pretend I was mad at him. Really, it was because my heart just leapt into my throat and I wasn't going to be able to answer his question verbally. Why did he make me feel like this? Any other girl I had dated never made me as flustered as the confident guy in front of me. Sure I may not have had the best moves around, but at least I could talk to them without blushing or stuttering. This seemed impossible with Sasuke, who took my glare as a positive. "When?"

"How should I know? You're the one asking," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. I winced at the pain from my shoulder, but it disappeared enough for me to get comfortable again. He chuckled before leaning in, his lips slowly pressing mine into a kiss. Unwillingly I shivered, closing my eyes to prolong the intimate exchange. My mouth parted for him like it was second nature, our tongue gently swaying against each other. A moan was coaxed from my throat, and I wondered if he knew this was the kind of kiss I wanted earlier. Maybe Uchihas did have telepathy. His breath scorched my mouth, but I refused to let go of the lingering kiss. A soft nip was given to my lower lip before it was sucked into his mouth, making my toes curl inside of my socks. He really was a natural born kisser. My body shivered when he finally pulled away, leaving me slightly wanting more.

"Saturday night." It took me a second to remember what he was talking about. Knowing he caught me dazed, I looked away with a huff.

"W-Whatever."

"Hn." He glanced to my shoulder, as if making sure I was okay before he finally pushed off the bed. "The TV remote is in the nightstand if you wish to entertain yourself."

"Are you planning on going somewhere?"

"I have to work on my research project. If I wish to do it without you distracting me, I need to move to the living room." He unplugged his laptop, shutting it before carrying it under his arm. "If you need anything, use that loud voice of yours. I'm sure I'd hear it even if I was in another country."

"I won't need anything from your pale ass!" I threw a pillow at him, which missed when he moved through the doorway. I growled and leaned back on the bed, flicking the TV onto some daytime talk show. I tried to pay attention, but my mind kept wandering to Saturday night. Somehow, I had managed to get a date with the school's most wanted guy. And he had been the one to ask me.

I guess Mondays weren't as bad as I thought they were.

* * *

My arm healed, though not quick enough for my liking. Like Sasuke had said, I missed a few days of soccer and was stuck on the bench while watching Kiba and Sasuke steal all my playing time. The urge to run onto the field was strong, but my mother's threat to take all ramen from the house if I moved off the bench kept me glued to my spot. That woman was scary when mad; I swear her hair floated on occasion. Ino and Sakura had promised to make sure I took it easy, and I was thankful when they offered to help me whenever I needed it. Since I couldn't carry a backpack in school, I had a hard time carrying all my books. It was mortifying when Sasuke was put in charge of holding them for me, only increasing the rumors in the school about us being an item.

Were they really rumors anymore? Or were they kind of true? I wasn't even sure. We had a date planned, but neither one of us had really talked about it since Monday. With Friday night approaching on the horizon, I was kind of worried Sasuke had forgotten about it. Then again, he had been really busy with all of his organizations and school that he hardly even had time to talk at all. With November heading closer to the thanksgiving break, teachers were packing on homework and tests like never before. I even seemed to run out of energy, a rarity that happened once every six years.

"I can't believe I'm paying for you two." But now that the school day was over, I had a couple days to recuperate. And what better way to get my energy back than stuffing my face with ice cream? I handed over the money to the cashier, crying on the inside as I barely got any change back. Ino and Sakura were expensive dates. "Don't you two have guys to pay for you?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. But you offered first, so I wasn't going to make him pay." I blinked at Sakura's reply, surprised at her answer. It wasn't that I thought she was ugly, because I knew she was pretty hot. It was just weird to think that Sakura really _had _moved on from Sasuke. After hearing about them spending so much time together again, I was sure she was starting to fall back in love. "I told him I'd meet him here, so I'll see you guys later?"

"Have fun, Sakura! And remember, keep an open mind," Ino said, Sakura rolling her eyes before walking away from us. I waited until she was gone before slumping next to Ino.

"Why didn't she have her date pay for her?! I'm already short on cash as it is."

"A bets a bet, and you promised to pay for both of us," Ino replied, tugging on my arm. I groaned, looking at the line for the event. Well, at least the student council was making some good money.

"You know I would have beaten you if Sasuke wasn't there."

"And you refuse to tell us what Sasuke did to 'distract' you, so I don't believe you." How the heck was I supposed to explain that? "Speaking of which, where is your little boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend! And he's got some meeting with a representative from college. They flew all the way from Wyoming to meet him." As I explained Sasuke's disappearance, I noticed the slight bitter tone I took.

"Whoa, that's kind of a long trip. I didn't even know Sasuke was looking into colleges that far away."

"Well that makes two of us. He just told me a couple days ago."

"Was that before or after he asked you out?" Instantly my hands covered her mouth, glaring at the giggling girl next to me.

"Will you shut up already?! That last thing I need is more people talking about us in this school." She nodded and I slowly pulled away, sighing in exhaustion. Why I kept telling her things, I'd never know.

"Okay, so then how do you feel about him moving out there? Would you go with him?" At her odd question, I shook my head.

"Why would I?"

"Well, normally the one who doesn't have any plans for the future will go with the one who does. Since you don't really seem to care what you do after school, I figured you just tail Sasuke and make a nice little housewife." She was teasing me, but something about her statement didn't sit well in my stomach.

"It's only November you know; I still have plenty of time to decide what I want to do with my life." Finally getting to the front of the line, Ino glanced between the chocolate and strawberry ice-cream while she spoke.

"True. You've got a lot of good grades, and your extracurricular activities make you a hot topic. You're an ace soccer player and the president of the class council for three straight years. I wouldn't be surprised to see some big colleges looking to add you to their roster."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." We both jumped at the light voice behind us. Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled when seeing a cheerful wave from my Kakashi. I grinned when realizing he gave me a compliment, feeling accomplished despite all the trouble I had in his class. It was a rough start, but after putting my nose to the books I was able to get my grade up to a B+. I was still shooting for the A, which Kakashi had said was possible if I aced the midterm.

"Good evening ," Ino said, allowing him to take a cup of the chocolate ice cream. He walked with us as we started to choose our toppings, bowing his head politely to Ino.

"I see that you two are in good spirits despite the mid-terms coming up."

"I tend to do well under pressure, so midterms don't bother me like the other students," she answered, dousing her ice cream in caramel. For such a little girl, she sure didn't shy away from eating.

"I'm just banking on good luck," I answered, only partially kidding. Kakashi sent me a look before continuing down the line.

"Won't you be asking Sasuke for help?"

"He'll probably come over Saturday night." I ignored Ino's smirk, trying not to blush when realizing that was the same night we set for our date.

"Ah, I see. It's good that you are so close. Especially since Itachi always speaks highly of you." At the mention of the older Uchiha, I hesitantly proceeded with the conversation.

"Itachi talks about me?"

"All the time. He remembers you from before he left for Japan. Said you were always dragging his brother places, and that you never left Sasuke's side. He was amazed when I told him you and Sasuke were still so close; his brother tends to scare people away."

"You are just an Uchiha magnet," Ino teased, gently elbowing me in the stomach as we walked toward a table. I wanted to feel flattered, but felt like Kakashi was hiding something. Unsure of how to ask, I sat down at the table and looked up at the teacher standing next to me.

"Well tell Itachi that I'm happy he remembers me, and that I hope he's doing well over in Japan." It felt kind of fake saying that, but I didn't really have anything else to go with.

"You should tell him yourself. Itachi is coming home in a week for a visit." My mouth almost dropped at the information. Itachi hadn't been home in years! Why did he choose now, when everything was going haywire between Sasuke and I? As if reading my thoughts, Kakashi tilted his head and smiled. "He asked me to invite you to lunch. It's optional of course, but Itachi has some questions he feels only you could answer for him."

"Me? Why not just talk to Sasuke?" I asked, shifting in my seat.

"You know how Sasuke gets when you mention his brother; Itachi feels their relationship might be a little…strained when he returns for the visit. It'd be best not to talk to Sasuke about it."

"Wait, what? You mean you don't want me to tell Sasuke that his brother is finally coming home after four years? And that he wants to have lunch with me, to talk about God know's what, without Sasuke being present?"

"Yup."

"Are you crazy!?" I shouted, shooting into a standing position. Despite my outburst Kakashi continued to smile, seeing no problem in what he was asking me to do. It was moments like these that I suddenly realized why Sasuke warned me to stay away from Kakashi. He was a good guy, but seemed to like stirring the pot of tension. Behind that innocent smile, a different Kakashi lurked. I could see it in his knowing eyes, even if his lips didn't waver.

"Naruto, you're making people stare," Ino said yanking on the bottom of my shirt. I didn't care; half the school thought I was in love with Sasuke anyways. Might as well be in an affair with the teacher too.

"If you tell Sasuke before his midterms, I'm sure it will break his concentration. Getting bad grades in his senior year will not look good for any school willing to give him scholarships. I hope you understand my reasoning. Itachi agrees with me." Then why was he coming now? And why did they have to tell me about it? "Should I tell him that you'll take him up on his offer for lunch? It seems to be one of his top priorities coming here."

"I don't know."

"Then when you do, let me know." He glanced over my shoulder, acting as if he didn't just drop a bomb on me. "Ah, I see that my assistance is needed elsewhere. Good luck on your midterms you two."

"Thank you Mr. Hatake." I didn't answer him as he brushed past me, not sure what else could be said. Slowly I dropped back down to my seat, glancing at the ice cream that had started to melt in with the hot fudge. It seemed to reflect my life; a mess. I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder, and I glanced over to see a worried look on Ino's face. "You have any idea what Itachi plans to talk to you about?"

"At this point, it could be anything. A death threat, a vacation getaway; hell it might even be a wedding proposal!" I grabbed my hair; yanking on it to try and wake myself up from this nightmare I was sure I was stuck in. "Why do these Uchihas having nothing better to do than destroy my life?"

"You could always just say no to Itachi."

"You don't understand; an invitation from him is like an invitation from Sasuke. Even if you say no, they'll find a way to make you say yes and seem completely innocent while doing it."

"Out of all the boys to date, you have to pick the complicated one." Too wound up to even correct her, I flopped my head down next to my melting ice cream and groaned.

"And my ice cream is ruined."

"Cheer up Naruto; it can't always rain. I'll go get you another ice cream since I just finished mine. And then you can stuff your face into a coma so you won't have to deal with either one of them." Even with my sour mood, I couldn't help but smile at her idea.

"Somehow, they would find a way to wake me up." She giggled before taking my ice cream soup away, jumping back in line for the both of us. I watched her from my position at the table, smiling slightly when a lazy boy casually strolled up to stand beside her. Shikamaru and Ino had been talking a lot more since our 'date', making me wonder if she finally got her point across. Though there were no kisses or date offers, he seemed to be putting more effort than before. Hell, maybe before they were eighty he'd even hold her hand.

Moving away from the humorous thought, I went back to my current predicament. How was I supposed to go on a date with Sasuke with the knowledge of Itachi fresh in my mind? Was it lying if I didn't tell him? Somehow I felt like it was. If the tables were turned, I wasn't quite sure what Sasuke would do. Though Kakashi said a lot of stupid stuff, he was right about one thing. If I told Sasuke that Itachi was coming home, he'd probably lose focus on his midterms. Even if I didn't want him to move away, I also didn't want to be the reason he would miss out on the school he wanted. Being the bearer of bad news would most definitely solidify that role for me.

"I'll just wait till after midterms." After all, Itachi wasn't supposed to show up for another week. By that time the midterms would be over, and thanksgiving break would begin. Sasuke would be able to be emo without his studies suffering, and I could lose the weight of guilt on my shoulders. I could ace my exams, go on a date with Sasuke, tell him about his brother, and still enjoy my thanksgiving dinner. Everything would work out for Sasuke, and everything would work out for me...

Right?

**Dun dun DUN! Oh boy oh boy, I'm not sure there is enough room for Itachi and Sasuke to be in the same country. What will Naruto do with both Uchiha looking his way? Will Naruto and Sasuke heat things up on their date? What does Itachi have to talk about with Naruto? Does it have something to do with Kakashi? And will tea always haunt Naruto's life? Probably. Let me know what you thought of it! =D**


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